Alright, first things first so we can get the bad news out of the way: but there will sadly be no chapter next friday. I'm not at home during that time and thus unable to update. I hope you can forgive me for that.
And with that out of the way, let's continue with the chapter!
Martyr of the Ancients
You and your companions fought your way up the Tower of Babil, defeating anyone and anything standing in your way, including the monstrosity that was once the proud Varis zos Galvus. But you were not fast enough, and as you finally located Zenos and Fandaniel it looked like all was lost. Almost. If not for a timely intervention from Hydaelyn that left one of the seals binding Zodiark intact.
With their hand thus being forced, your adversaries decided to break the final seal themselves and you immediately gave chase. Now you are on your way to the place where He slumbers, dreaming of the day when he would be free once more of the shackles that bound him. The place where the lamentations of His servant echoed through space.
The moon.
Opening her eyes, S'eni found herself standing in a field of pure white desolation, stretching out all around her and broken only by structures further up ahead. An Aetheryte, which she frankly didn't expect here, and a large tower further in the distance. For a moment, she actually thought that the teleporter had malfunctioned and sent her to some unknown place in their world, but then she saw it. The round, blue form of their planet, framed by an endless ocean of stars.
It was...beautiful.
She shook her head. This wasn't the time to get entranced by the sights. Zenos and Fandaniel were here, and while Hydaelyn had thrown them off course, S'eni had no doubt it wouldn't take long for those two to show their faces. She had a mission to fulfil.
"I shall send you to one that will assist you. Do as he says and renew the seal. Zodiark must not break free," Hydaelyn had told her and the others, before being forced to retreat once more, leaving only Krile's unconscious body behind.
She shot another glance back towards the planet, where her friends were undoubtedly busy trying to reign in the situation caused by Anima's demise, when the sound of a distant voice, nothing but a faint echo, made her ears perk up.
"You arrived," it said and she looked around. "Hydaelyn's champion."
Her eyes suddenly widened when the unmistakable shape of an Ancient entered her vision, walking across the dust covered field. It looked like one of the shades in Amaurot. Perhaps it was this one? She wondered and began to walk over. But as she came closer, she immediately noticed something was strange.
"Excuse me?" she asked and reached to touch it. All of a sudden, its head snapped towards her, staring at her with unseen eyes.
"I...I..." said the Ancient shade. "Return...I must...return. Why...Why...Why!?"
As its voice grew in intensity, small revenants began to flow out of the Ancient and shoot towards her. She narrowly managed to avoid the assault and jumped backwards, her arms rising to defend herself when one of them immediately gave chase with a speed that belied its round form. Ducking away, she spun around and brought her fist up to slam into the small creature, causing it to puff out of existence. After taking care of the other two as well, S'eni turned back towards the Ancient, who had gone back to ignoring her, muttering something that she couldn't make out. But while she watched the figure, she found herself filled with a sudden sense of...grief.
"You mustn't touch them," the voice called out again. "Come find me...in cerulean halls."
Cerulean halls, hm? S'eni thought and put a hand on the back of her hip. She turned her head to look at the tower up ahead. That's probably supposed to be you.
Making her way towards the spire, she climbed the stairs leading up to the entrance and stepped inside. The interior immediately brought to mind the Amaurot Emet-Selch had created, as well as the Anyder they had later found. All around her, she saw shelves filled with what she assumed to be records, holding vast amounts of knowledge no doubt. In the center of the chamber, she found what looked like a model of their star hanging down from the ceiling over a desk that was far too tall for her. But more importantly, S'eni could feel a presence somewhere above her.
Taking another set of stairs, she climbed the tower until she arrived at a large set of double doors that began to open up the moment she arrived. A figure was standing on the platform behind it, dressed in a long white, hooded robe that, upon closer inspection, was adorned with tiny stars that flickered in the light. Their right hand was extended towards something in the distance she couldn't see, but she nevertheless noticed the stream of aether extending from it.
"I have awaited your coming, even though I am quite...busy," the figure said, the voice sounding decidedly male now that it wasn't a distant echo, followed by a sigh. "It has been so long since I held a conversation too. In fact, I have never been as busy as I am now."
"I'm guessing you're the one Hydaelyn spoke of?" she asked, making him look down at her.
"I am. Ever since Hydaelyn created this moon, I have been a cog in its giant wheel. You may call me the Watcher, for I have been keeping watch over the imprisoned one ever since," he told her and looked back out into the distance.
As she followed his gaze, S'eni saw a strange shape, rising out of a hole in the ground like an angry red welt, surrounded by a sort of barrier that seemed to be made of aetheric swords. Upon closer inspection though, she noticed arms leading into vicious claws and large horns protruding from an obscured...head? Her eyes widened in realization.
"Is that—!?"
"Yes. That is Zodiark. Or rather, an image of Him. His real self slumbers deep in the moon's core," the Watcher explained. "Hydaelyn divided his power, but with every Rejoining, it grows. Yet, despite the Ascians' efforts, He still remains incomplete, thus denying them the return of their brethren. Only once his true form was restored would they have moved to release Him...that is, until now. The seal that keeps Him in place was nearly destroyed. Look, it consists of these six brands."
"Yes, I see them." She nodded. They were placed around the image of Zodiark in a giant circle.
"They keep Zodiark imprisoned. Five of them were destroyed, though I have managed to restore one. But something is keeping me from restoring the other four..." he lowered his gaze and she followed suit. Just like the one she had encountered outside, there a multitude of Ancients were walking about the area. Noticing her silent question, he continued. "They are the spirits of those that sacrificed themselves to call forth Zodiark. Their lamentations are what weakens the seal. They have to be banished so that the brands can be restored. That is your task."
The souls of those that sacrificed themselves... S'eni frowned. She still remembered the tale that Emet-Selch had told them, that half his people had sacrificed themselves to bring Him forth. And after that, another half had given their lives to restore the planet to its previous state. No wonder she had sensed grief earlier. It was the grief for a world long lost.
"I..." she sighed and shook her head. No time for hesitation now. "If it's the right thing, I'll do it."
That seemed to take the Watcher by surprise and he stopped what he was doing to fully look at her.
"'The right thing?' That would depend on who you ask." He knelt down to better look at her. "I am simply the Watcher. I am not supposed to make any moral judgments. But let me tell you this much: Hydaelyn has created this moon from the power of stillness. As long as Zodiark remains here, there will be no further sacrifices in his name but so will the souls of the dead remain where they are instead of returning to the Aetherial Sea. Go see for yourself, then you may decide."
"Alright...what do I need to do if I want to dispel them?"
"A feather-light touch, a few firm words. That should be enough to send them away, faint echoes that they are. However, beware of the sentiment that drives them. Emotions that do not fade even with the passage of centuries..." the Watcher rose back up and resumed his work. "And make haste. Though yet distant, unwelcome guests draw closer..."
Of course they are... she thought and made her way downstairs and towards the brand located just below the Watcher's abode. Four spirits were in the vicinity, wandering around aimlessly while muttering to themselves, like a lost child looking for their mother. One by one, she did as he told her, sending them away with a gentle touch and a few words until only one remained. While she had been busy with the other three, this one had stopped their wandering and was instead looking towards the planet. As she approached, the spirit suddenly began to speak.
"We were the star's beating heart. Its life...Every soul a drop of blood flowing through its veins... To live. To learn, to create...to make better. The star flourished...as did we." The spirit then looked at her. "Do you remember?"
"No..." she said and gently reached out to touch it. "I don't..."
The spirit did not reply, instead fading away like a whisper in the dead of the night. She stared at the spot it had occupied just a moment ago, wondering just what sort of person this one must have been in the past. Closing her eyes, she reminded herself that Zenos and Fandaniel wouldn't wait around for her, and turned around. Only to find herself blinking a few times in surprise at what she found when she opened them again.
A dog.
Quite a lustrous one at that, with long, clean fur that glowed a bright gold. It looked at her with big, bright blue eyes. Almost expectingly so.
"Hello there," S'eni said, the corners of her lips rising. She certainly wasn't expecting a representative of man's best friend to appear up here. Perhaps it belonged to the Watcher. Slowly walking over, she extended her hand towards it. "And who are you?"
The dog, of course, did not reply, but extended its neck to sniff her hand. When it didn't move away, she proceeded to gently pet it. After a moment of clearly enjoying the attention, it pulled back though and turned around to run off, stopping briefly to look at her.
"Want me to follow, do you?" she asked and began to jog after it.
Who was she to refuse?
After this unexpected meeting, the dog had guided her to the next brand, showing her just exactly where the spirits of the Ancients were lurking so that she could send them away. Once she was done with that, it showed her the way to the next, always looking at her with those blue eyes that held an intelligence belying their canine nature. And when they arrived at the third brand, it was those very eyes that regarded the single shade in the area, simply standing there and gazing up at the image of Zodiark.
Giving her new friend another grateful pat, S'eni walked over to the Ancient spirit. Like the others, it didn't really seem to notice her at first, but when she stopped a few steps away, it began to speak. "The apocalypse arrived without warning. Hopelessness invaded our hearts. The End had come. We gave our lives, so that others may live, and called forth the savior, Zodiark."
The spirit then turned around to look at her. It didn't speak any further. Just as she was about to reach out to send it away though, another appeared right next to it.
"Zodiark saved the world! We saved the world!" it said.
"Our world shall return!" another voice came from behind and she whirled around to see a third spirit standing there.
More and more spirits appeared around her, their voice echoing through the air in a chorus of pleading, vowing, and lamenting.
"The star shall be as it once was..."
"All life shall become one with the will of the star!"
"Heaven and earth itself shall live, and our fear shall be forgotten!"
"Shit..." S'eni muttered as the spirits began to encircle her, and she raised her arms in preparation—
"Excuse me. But would you be so kind as to give me some space?"
—another voice pierced through theirs.
Turning to look towards its owner, the spirits slowly began to dissipate, until only one, the one that had addressed them, remained.
"I knew it," the spirit then said and began walking towards her. "I would recognize the color of Azem's soul everywhere. And yet, you are not her, despite possessing her color."
The spirit stopped in front of her, looking her over before its gaze came to a stop at one of her bags.
"Ah. Emet-Selch has given it to you then."
What!? S'eni's eyes widened. Could this be...? Yes, it had to be. "It's you. Hythlodaeus."
"Yes, that is my name. How do you know that?"
"I've met you, or rather a version of you, before," she said. "During my journey through one of the Source's reflections, Emet-Selch created an illusion of Amaurot and the people within it. You included. But unlike the other shades, you, that other you, knew the truth."
"Is that so?" Hythlodaeus raised his hand and giggled into it. "Hehe...that does sound just like him. He has kept the memories of those days within his heart all this time."
"He did." She smiled slightly.
"Be that as it may, I'm not just an image. I'm the real Hythlodaeus. One of the souls sacrificed to bring forth Zodiark."
It faded again and she lowered her eyes to the ground. "Yeah...I know..."
"We remember quite well why we are here. We also know that there were plans to bring us back. That Hydaelyn prevented it, and what happened to Zodiark and the star as a result. Everything after that...was like a dream, a fog, that you have lifted." Her eyes snapped back up towards Hythlodaeus, and she saw him look towards Zodiark's prison. "I don't know what will happen to Zodiark, or into what kind of future you will lead the star—"
He looked back towards her.
"—but I believe in you. Just like Emet-Selch did. So believe in yourself, too."
Believe in myself... she thought. Her lips parted to reply, when a sudden explosion rang through the air. Whirling around, she saw that it was... Oh no, the brand!
"More visitors, it seems. I recognize the color of one of the souls...it's Fandaniel," Hythlodaeus said. "The other one...I sense for the first time. It… frightens me."
"I know the owner of it all too well," she replied, balling her hands into fists.
"I believe I have taken more than enough of your time. I will make sure that none of my brethren will get in your way. Only you can protect the final brand," he said and, as she turned to look at him, was already waking away, his form fading with every step he took. "Go now, my new, old friend."
And just like he had appeared, he was gone again. S'eni stared at the spot he vanished at for a few seconds, before closing her eyes and exhaling. Believe in myself, she reminded herself and rushed over to where the dog stood, hackles raised as it stared out into the distance.
"Come on, we need to protect the brand!"
Turning towards her, it looked at her with its big, blue eyes, then began nudging her, as if to tell her to...get on its back. Her eyebrows shot upward, but she wasn't going to argue with the glowing dog that called the moon its territory. After climbing onto it, and making sure she wouldn't be thrown off, they took to the sky.
They made their way over to the last remaining brand as fast as they could, but by the time they arrived, Zenos and Fandaniel had already arrived. The former was standing in front of the structure, holding his scythe in his hand. He sent her a sideway glance as she came running towards them, then raised his weapon and swung it. A wave of energy shot forth from its blade and collided with the brand, causing it to shatter.
Gods, no!
Coming to a halt, she stared at the remains of the last brand, before gritting her teeth and glaring at the two. Fandaniel for his part remained nonplussed and simply turned away from her. "Right on time to bear witness to our triumph," he said and raised his arms. "The seal is broken. You are free! Rise, Zodiark!"
Right as those words passed his lips, what little remained of the seal began to flicker out of existence, ending with the image of the yet incomplete Zodiark. As that, too, vanished and revealed the giant crater leading deep into the moon, a rumbling growl rose from within it and the ground underneath their feet began to shake. She looked around, waiting for the primal to emerge any second...but he didn't.
"With Elidibus' much too early death, Zodiark has lost His heart. He lives purely by instinct now. Like a newborn babe. Easy to manipulate," the Ascian explained while walking towards the edge of the crater. He stopped just in front of it and looked down, pure delight entering his voice. "Yes...I can practically taste it...His power grows with every breath. Even in this state, He is undoubtedly the savior that once delivered the world from destruction!"
"Well then, it is finally time. What is it you have thought up for our final duel?" Zenos asked, making her look over at him. He pointed his scythe at her. "I for one plan to make this god's power my own and devour the world you have sworn to protect. When your rage and hatred have reached their apex, we shall indulge in a hunt that will make the very heavens tremble. And you? Do you wish to simply strike me down where I stand? Hm, such a quick and dirty duel would not be without its satisfaction, either."
She didn't say anything, and instead entered her battle stance, the ground underneath her cracking slightly as she brought her foot down.
"Good." Zenos smirked and raised his weapon above his shoulder. "Show me what it means to live."
"So sorry to interrupt. But could you wait a little bit with that romp of yours?" Fandaniel asked and they both glanced over at him. He had turned around and was presenting them with a gleeful smile that matched his tone. "Remember how I said that I wish to die, and that you all deserved death? I meant what I said."
He let himself fall backwards into the crater.
"No!" she shouted and immediately bound forward, but found herself thrown back when a pillar of bright, red light shot up from deep within. Raising her arm, she shielded her eyes until it had dissipated, then scrambled back onto her feet and ran towards the hole. Without any hesitation, she jumped in.
When she landed, she found herself surrounded by complete darkness. Not a single sign of the elder primal wherever she looked. What was going on?
A sudden ripple in the darkness made her turn to her left, where a man-sized mask appeared, multicolored and reminiscent of a skull stripped of flesh, looking at her with empty eye sockets. "We are the savior," it said in the voice of an Ancient.
More began to appear around her.
"We are the guardian of order," another mask, colored a deep grey with hollow cheeks, said.
One mask appeared in front of her, its crimson appearance much more man-like compared to the rest. "We are the martyr, the bringer of a new dawn."
S'eni found herself reminded of her battle against Emet-Selch where, in his last bid of strength, he had brought forth the spirits of those who he had sworn to bring back. The manifestation of the duty he had carried out for countless millennia. But these weren't just mere illusions; these were the real ones.
"We are—"
Fandaniel's cackling voice began to echo all around her.
"Save the world, you say?" he asked. "What irony it is that you will be the ones to destroy it then!"
"The world must not end..."
"We want to return home..."
By now, everywhere she looked a mask had filled the void. In front of her. Behind her. Above and beyond. Countless souls that had given their lives willingly to save their world, crying out as one.
"We are the will of the star! We have given our lives so that our brethen..."
"No! No! No! Enough with your lies! You have no power over me! Be silent like the dead that you are!" Even as he was still shouting these words, the masks were drawn back into the darkness. One by one, until only the mask with the man-like features remained.
"No, we beg you!" it called out. "The planet must live..."
It was gone, leaving S'eni alone in the darkness once more. Closing her eyes, she felt her hands ball into fists. She knew that whatever was going to happen, none of these souls would ever get to see the world they had sacrificed their lives for again. It was a world long past. Emet-Selch's smiling face appeared in her mind then, followed by the words he had bequeathed her with.
"Remember...that we once lived..."
And just like back then, she replied, "...I will."
Her hand went to her bag, and she pulled out Azem's crystal.
A man walked through the sheer endless void, the braid he had slung lazily over his shoulder thumping against his dark robes. It wouldn't be much longer, he knew. With Fandaniel having taken control of Zodiark the tiny bit of existence that had still been afforded to him would soon be no more. So he simply chose to follow it. That light in the dark, that color that was just like hers.
It didn't take long to find her, and when he did, he watched her withdraw the crystal that Emet-Selch had entrusted her with and graped it firmly in her hand.
"Yes. Believe in yourself, and your soul shall shine bright once more," he said, then let his gaze wander upward, into the deep void. "I know, this isn't the end you envisioned, but it is still quite fitting. Don't you think so too, Hades?"
And as his body began to burst into particles of aether, Hythlodaeus smiled.
And that's that. Next chapter we'll have our first encounter with Hydaelyn's quirky little helpers. Until then, I wish you all Happy Holidays and that you'll enter the next year in good health!