Audience of One

Chapter Thirteen

A hot, dry sun beat over Garnet. Her body felt heavy as lead as she became acutely aware of the feeling of warm, grainy sand against her cheek. She moaned as she tried to make her legs move. Garnet thought she had felt the worst kind of pain before. She was in a whole new level of pain now. She forced her eyes open. They were dizzy and out of focus as she looked at the sideways view in front of her. It seemed to be a beach. Feeling was returning to her legs and she felt the cool lapping waves of the sea washing up against her. She was laying on her stomach and she suddenly felt her ribcage throbbing. Had she broken something? Her memory was fuzzy as she tried to recall her last waking moment. Finally, she was able to regain control of her arms but they uselessly clawed through the hot sand. She blinked rapidly, her entire body radiating. Garnet's shaky hand rubbed at her face, feeling crusted blood on her skin. Had she reopened her scar? Or would there be another one now? Garnet coughed dryly as, again, she tried to force her body to move. She dug her elbows in the ground, trying to lift her head. Garnet paused, her elbows now beneath her. She pressed her forehead to the ground, sputtering and gasping for air. She had no idea how she was still alive, but that meant she still had to fight for it. She put her arm out and dug her nails into the sand. With all her might, Garnet pulled herself. She let out a choked sharp gasp as she tried to crawl away from the shoreline. It took all her effort to use her other arm to drag her further. Garnet collapsed back against the sand, panting heavily. Her mind was spinning and she struggled to recollect herself. She just needed a clue. Anything to indicate where she was. Had she made it to the Outer Continent? Or was she back at square one? Garnet forced herself to drag herself once more before her tender back seared. She writhed against the beach as pain wracked her entire body. She ground her teeth together tightly, squeezing her eyes shut. She told herself to get a hold of it, but her muscles and bones and every single nerve continued to light with pain. Garnet rolled onto her side and hugged her torso. Her legs curled against her as her stomach tossed violently. Garnet then surged forward and vomited. It was sea salt and it burned her throat. She sputtered and cough as her body wretched. She tried to control her breathing as she put her elbow to the ground and crawled a bit more. Her neck was quivering as she lifted her head, her vision still fuzzy. There was something green not too far away. It had to have been grass. Garnet let out an uneven sigh as she extended her arm out. Suddenly, though, a brown embroidered boot stepped firmly on her wrist. She gasped sharply and looked up.

"Hey, sis," the girl said, smirking. Her skin was utterly pale and greatly stood out from her long onyx hair. She had black coal as eyes and white lips that were vaguely blue. Garnet wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or if she was actually dead. The girl peering over her certainly looked lifeless. "You're lookin' pretty pitiful these days." Garnet was silent and frozen, her mind reeling. The girl knelt down, her face only inches from Garnet's battered one. "Maybe you'll let your little sister help you?"

Garnet's lips trembled. "Astrid," she whispered, almost completely hoarse and mute. "But… there's no way. I…"

"Oh, don't say that," Astrid was smiling as she gently caressed Garnet's cheek. Garnet's heart accelerated in that moment as she noticed behind Astrid there was a thin veil of mist. "As Zidane has taught us both, anything is possible."

…

Hours before…

It was nearing dawn when the Blue Narciss Marx slowed their engines as they drifted around the longest tip of the Alexandrian Islets. Freya stood at the very front of the boat, an iron lantern rocking and forth in her hand. Eiko pointed to their left and that's when everyone saw the large looming ship that glowed with torch light on the deck. Liam and Steiner were quick to join them at the railing. "Blank, you can get closer to it. There's no way anyone is awake or watching on that ship right now," Freya said, tucking her pocket watch inside her vest. Blank slowly began turning the wheel and they puttered nearer. Freya held the lantern up and everyone's eyes began searching incessantly for any indication of Garnet. There had been unexpected winds during the voyage and two hours had become eight, plus they had lost time when Blank had to cool the engines and top off the fluids. No one on board was feeling good about their progress as Blank turned opposite and stopped a few meters off from the boat.

"Look," Liam leaned toward. Freya extended the lantern up. "Frayed rope. And a missing lifeboat. I bet the crew hasn't even noticed yet."

"Okay, so far that means we're right about Dagger's intentions. We missed her getting on the boat by some cursed gods trick, but we're on her trail," Freya paced towards the center of the ship with the rest where they gathered by the bridge in front of Blank. "Now we just need to go in the direction of the northern star. We can probably catch up with her. The engines are cooled and we are much faster than a rower."

"She couldn't have gotten far," Steiner shook his head. "Not even half way. It's a suicide mission, we must stop her."

"Kickin' up the gears," Blank said as he pulled the chain down. "Brace yourself." As he lined up navigation and engaged the thrusters, he paused and narrowed his eyes, looking forward. "There's a really bad storm out there."

"It's the eternal rainstorm," Freya said, glancing his way.

"No…" Blank replied slowly. "It's not. It's to the right. It looks like there's only one little narrow pocket between them both right now."

"Engines at max," Liam quickly came onto the bridge. "Garnet most likely got swallowed up into that storm." Blank pursed his lips before he reached down and engaged a spring lever. Behind him, the engines began to hum and groan loudly and the boat picked up in a way Blank had never experienced. "Not even a skilled rower could avoid that!" Liam shouted over the sudden wind noise.

Eiko had nearly been taken off her feet and clung to the railing, her hair whipping back from her face. "This is wicked fast! Is this even safe?!"

"I don't know!" Blank shouted back, hyper-focused on keeping the boat straight with the northern eye never leaving his sight. "It's her maiden voyage! Guess we'll find out!"

The wind blew Freya's lantern out and she now dangled it at her side. She had her hand pressed over her hat, her feet braced against the deck, as she watched the ocean pass beneath her at speeds she had never known before. An airship felt so different. In a way, it was disconnected from the planet. But on that boat, as they cut across the ocean like it were a thawed hunk of butter, Freya felt alive. It was as if she needed the reminder of how much the world changed and how sometimes it was for the better. Technology and innovation had boomed in the years since the Mist Wars. The world suddenly seemed to be on the right page and, more importantly, the same page. It would only get better, she told herself. And that's why she was there. She was protecting that very delicate, beautiful thing. Blank slowed the ship down a few notches as he noticed the converging veil of milky moonlight.

"I need more power for the rudders," Blank glanced to Liam. "Everyone stand towards the center of the ship. We need to balance the weight."

Freya, Eiko, and Steiner gathered together, staring forward at the thin column of the ocean that was their only passage. Liam opted to stay in the bridge with Blank, holding onto the wooden pillar that supported the canopy. His jaw was tense as he watched Blank calmly adjust the wheel back and forth. The storms could be heard raging on either side of them with bursts of lightning and ear splitting thunder. But still, the moonlight poured over them. Eiko's breathing was shallow as she looked out beyond the railings. With the lantern out, the utter pitch around them became much too evident. She reached up and grabbed Steiner's hand, squeezing it tight. Steiner didn't think much of it, immediately holding her hand back. In a way, it gave him comfort, as if his own child was beside him. Freya turned in circles, looking at the vast, unending sea around them. Surely Garnet couldn't be much further. The Dragoon strained her eyes as she searched as hard as she could. Liam leaned forward, pressing his hand to the dashboard in front of him. Blank was holding his breath as he nudged the wheel back and forth. Liam's eyes were scanning everyone, but he straightened up suddenly as he looked out to the right.

"Look!" Liam shouted, giving Blank a hurried, forceful shove. "That looks like a lifeboat that's capsized!"

"Hey, watch out!" Blank exclaimed as he staggered. "You've knocked the navigation off!" The responsive ship turned faithfully with the rudders and everyone on the deck shouted as a chilling, steady downpour came over them. Blank shoved the stunned Liam out of the way as he fought against the wheel. The raging waves tugged the rudders back and forth and Blank struggled to keep meager control. The boat buckled in all directions and tilted upward against the waves, sending water rushing overboard. Freya clung to the railing, taking face fulls of salt water against her. The ship was spinning and they were propelling rapidly towards the bobbing lifeboat. Freya watched as the lifeboat came near. It had to have been the lifeboat from the ship. It was the same egg shell white like the rest of them. Steiner rushed by, ushering Eiko into the safety of the bridge.

"Freya!" Eiko's shrill voice cut through the storm. "You're gonna get sucked overboard!"

Freya tore her eyes away from the lifeboat and quickly hustled down to the bridge where they all jammed in. Water from the canopy still dripped down on them as Blank kept in command. Freya panted and pulled her sopping wet, tangled ashen hair from her face. "She might still be around," Freya said, water sputtering from her lips. "She… she could be drowning right now."

"If you get off this boat to search, you won't be getting back on," Blank said as he struggled back and forth. "The undertow from the storm is moving the rudders. The shaft on this wheel isn't strong enough to hold against it. I can't control it." Behind them, the engine began squealing loudly and something sounded off like a corkscrew being shot from a wine bottle. Everyone ducked their heads and Eiko shrieked. "The engine's overheating. I'm going to have to cut it."

"But then we'll be at total mercy of the storm!" Liam shot back.

Blank didn't even look to him as he began disengaging buttons and levers. "It will make no difference. We're already at the storms mercy."

Freya's chest was rising and falling as she watched the lifeboat turn into just a distant dot on the horizon. The thunder and lightning popped off incessantly. Eiko's purple hair was frizzy as she held the pillar beside her and simply resigned to the constant tossing and turning of the boat. "Gods, I hope we don't flip over…" she muttered.

"We'll be fine," Blank assured her as he held the wheel to steady himself. "The boat is bottom heavy. Hopefully we'll just drift through and then catch our bearings."

Steiner surprised everyone when he drove his fist into the tinny engine behind them. There were salty tears in his eyes as he pressed his palm against the dent he had left. Freya reached out and put a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Her Majesty… she is probably somewhere out there in this storm. She'll… she'll be lost to it, no doubt."

"Maybe not," Freya didn't know whether she was trying to convince him or herself. "Dagger's a fighter, Steiner."

"Well, she sure as bloody hell can't breath under water," he collapsed against the engine now, feeling faint.

"We've said and thought the same before," Eiko lifted her eyes, her brow knitted together. "I'm going to lay down. Maybe I'll figure something out."

"Try and get some actual rest, too," Freya crossed her arms over her chest, her button up wrinkled.

"Not really up to me," She replied before she rushed into the rain, racing for the door leading down below. Freya sighed and rubbed at her face, coming to stand beside Blank where Eiko had been moments before. Blank offered a sympathetic pat on the back, but his stomach was also in knots as he considered their very plausible predicament. The bridge was silent despite the awful storm waging on around them and the ferocious rocks of the boat as it could only abide by the seas wishes. Liam looked between everyone with flared nostrils.

"This can't be the end," Liam held his arms out at his side, shaking his wet curly hair about. Everyone was roused from their spiraling internal thoughts. "You guys are heroes. This isn't the end of your story. It can't be."

"We're not giving up," Freya told him. "Just sometimes, Liam, there's nothing more to be done in the moment. We're no match against the sea. The engine is still cooling." She pulled her pocket watch from her vest and grimaced when she saw some water on the inside of the face. It was still ticking faithfully, however. "It will be daylight soon. Everyone should try and lay down, even if just for a little while. We'll figure something out when the storm thins." She looked to Blank. "You, too. So you can be somewhat fresh for the next steps."

"I'll stay here," Blank shook his head. "I might think of something."

"Thank you," her voice was soft.

…

Two and a half hours later, Freya was ripped from her sleep by the sounds of panicked screams. Her heart leapt into her throat and she scrambled off her bunk, pushing down the narrow corridor with thunderous feet. Freya's breaths were short and hurried as she came around the corner. Steiner was already there, knelt beside Eiko's bunk. The young Lady's skin was clammy and pale as her surroundings sunk back in on her. Eiko pressed her hand to her chest, her gasps slowly dying down. She rubbed at her face and her oily purple hair fell heavily over her shoulders. Just a few moments later, Liam rushed in, wrangling his black and gold coat over his shoulders. When Eiko peeled her palms away from her face, everyone saw her glassy eyes. They all simply held their breath in that moment.

"It was… it was awful…" Eiko could only manage a tense whisper, her eyes as wide as saucers. "It was confusing and… and terrifying."

"Just slow down," Freya sat on the edge of the bunk. "Take your time."

Eiko breathed in deeply and shook her head. Freya could only assume the awful scenes were running behind her eyes incessantly. "I was in the depths of the ocean," her voice was somewhat choked, her line of sight directed down. "It had to have been the same place we were. The water was just a force tossing and spinning me around. My lungs were burning and my eyes and well… everything was burning. I just remember that everything hurt. My vision caved in pretty fast. It's a bit hard to make out after that. I only saw blurry snippets. More intense pain. But I was laying on a beach. I could barely move. And then I guess I blacked out again."

Steiner's mouth was agape now as he sat up. His lips moved but at first there was no sound. His dark eyes pierced Freya in a stunned fashion. "So that means…!?"

"Holy shit, she survived!" Liam exclaimed. He let out a holler. "She's a strong girl, alright!"

Freya, herself, was beginning to feel the slightest tug of optimism in the corners of her heart. She looked towards the mess and noticed there was sunlight coming through the portholes and only the color blue seeped in. "Liam, start the pilots. Eiko needs breakfast. We all do." Freya then shifted on the bunk to face Eiko. "Lay down a little longer. I'm worried you'll catch a fever."

Eiko didn't combat anyone. She promptly laid back down and tried to think of happy things, like the Moogles at Madain Sari, and even Mog. Eiko reached beneath her sleeve, gently caressing the pink silk ribbon tied securely. Steiner, Freya, and Liam worked collectively in the small kitchen attached to the mess. They practically coordinated around each other as Liam poured cream into a bubbling pot to thicken up the porridge. Steiner focused on frying and hard boiling eggs. Freya came by with pinches of seasoning and tossed pieces of french bread on a hot plate. As the kitchen grew fragrant, everyone became acutely aware of how exhausted and hungry they were. When Steiner finished the eggs and began placing them over the french bread and plating, Freya whisked through the pantry and found some dried fruit she could put on everyone's plate.

"Here, take this to Eiko," Freya handed a full dish to Steiner. "And have her drink this. I crushed some aspirin up into it."

Freya then grabbed the next plate. "I'll take this to Blank. Liam, make yourself a plate and eat up." Freya walked away as Liam continued to stir the pot of porridge. She climbed the stairs and emerged into a fair weather day. The sun wasn't too hot. There was a pleasant, quiet breeze. It was hard to believe there had been a storm at all, the sky was completely clear. She came around the corner to find Blank with a thin cotton blanket wound around him, huddled up on the ground. He had dozed off against the wooden beam beside the wheel. Freya sat down on her knees in front of him and placed the breakfast on the floor. "Blank…" she whispered gently, reaching out and giving him a nudge. It took a bit of prodding before his tired eyes slid open. "I hate to wake you… but you should really eat something."

"Oh thank the gods, I was starving," he was quick to rouse and shrugged the blanket from his shoulders. He reached for the peeled hard boiled egg hungrily.

"Anything to report?" She asked as she seated herself with her back against the other wooden beam of the bridge. There was a silence for a few beats. Freya's eyes fell over the dent Steiner had left in the engine a few hours before. Blank practically inhaled the egg and took his time chewing, chugging half the glass of orange juice brought to him. Then he cradled his clay bowl of porridge in his lap.

"The storm passed about an hour and a half after you all went down," Blank told her, running his spoon through the thick mixture. He caught wafts of cinnamon. "Once it had calmed, I threw the anchor down so we wouldn't go any further. We're not far from the beach we were aiming for. The one we'd assume Dagger would pick."

Freya's eyes snapped towards him in that moment. "Eiko had a vision of being washed up on the beach." Blank looked to her in that moment, as well, his spoon dangling from his lips. "Are the engines in a sustainable way?"

"Yup," Blank whisked his plate of breakfast onto the dashboard in front of the wheel and took another hurried gulp of porridge before he began engaging levers and buttons. "Let me just raise the anchor and we'll be there within the hour."

Freya grinned and looked forward now, relishing in the feeling of the warm salty breeze coming over her. Maybe the odds were in their favor after all.

…

The first thing Garnet heard were the shrill sounds of a violin quartet playing their hearts out in the classiest, upbeat manner. When she blinked, she found herself surrounded by a grand and beautiful garden. It wasn't the Alexandrian Castles garden, however. There were tall, healthy juniper trees and pine trees. There were flowers of all colors. People surrounded her, but she didn't recognize a single face. There were balloons and streamers. She was dressed in an a-line form fitting satin black gown with gold hems and long bell sleeves. Garnet realized as she stood there, she felt no pain at all. There were tables surrounding her packed neatly with decadents foods she had no recollection of ever eating. She told herself to walk forward and she did to her surprise. She was in control. But she never had been before. Garnet turned in circles as she wandered listlessly amongst the crowd. No one looked to her and even noticed. She was like a ghost to them. The violins broke through to her once more and she turned sharply, her breath hitching in her throat. Standing straight ahead with an elbow leaned up against a cocktail table was Zidane. He was dressed crisply in his own dashing suit. It made his blue eyes practically shine. As soon as he saw Garnet appear amongst the crowd, he began forward. Garnet surged towards him with an urgency and collided against him, bringing her hands to either side of his face. Zidane grinned light heartedly and wrapped his arms around her slender figure.

"You're… not real, are you?" Garnet whispered, her breath rushing against him.

"I'm real enough," his voice was like velvet and Garnet shuddered in his arms. "Dagger…" He ran his hand down the length of her thick hair. "What're you doing? You're hurting yourself. This can't go on much longer."

Tears flooded Garnet's eyes and she pressed her hands against his chest. He felt so solid and sturdy. He felt real. Garnet clenched her teeth together and shook her head. "No, Zidane, you don't understand," her voice was soft and pinched. "This is how it has to be. I have to find you. You made a promise and I don't intend on letting you break it."

Zidane laughed in that moment and she clung to the way it resonated up his throat. "I'm not worth it, Dagger," he cupped her wet cheek tenderly and she melted into his touch. "What you're doing isn't fair to you or anyone else. The world needs you, Dagger. They don't need me."

"That's not true," her wet eyelashes fluttered and she shook her head all over again. His calloused fingers continued to skim against her. "I need you, Zidane."

"Dagger," he glanced around the scene despite no one paying them the faintest attention. "This is my cross to bear. It's nobody's problem but mine now."

"What are you talking about?" Garnet was breathless as she stared intensely into his blue eyes. "Zidane, something terrible is happening. It could unleash itself across all of Gaia if we're not careful. You can't ask me to sit this out. I'm already involved. It's not just your problem. It's our problem. If you go, I go. That's… that's what we promised each other all those years ago."

Zidane sighed and closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to hers. "It might be too late, Dagger. I don't know how to stop it this time around. I'm all out of tricks. But what I do know is that you need to be at your throne and at the helm of control."

"How can I when I don't even truly understand what's happened?" Garnet asked quietly. Zidane's cerulean blue eyes pierced her.

"It's the cycle, Dagger. It's restarted."

"You mean…?"

"The mist is back with a vengeance. It's a miracle it's stayed only on the Outer Continent for this long. Souls are returning to Gaia. You don't even know who the true enemy is anymore, Dagger. It's dangerous out here and you need to leave."

"Just tell me where you are," Garnet said. "You can't talk me out of this, Zidane. I came this far. You don't even know the trials I've had to face."

"But I do," he whispered, a small smile coming across his lips. "I've seen your entire journey, Dagger. I just wish you didn't feel like you had to do it."

"It wasn't out of obligation," Garnet shook her head. "You couldn't honestly believe I'd marry him and pretend everything was alright, could you?"

Zidane was quiet for a few beats as his eyes soaked in her face. She was bruised and scarred. He was certain her heart was in absolute pieces. He licked his lips. "Part of me wished you did."

"But… why?" She gripped his dinner jacket tightly. "How could I? I don't love him, Zidane. There was never a place for Liam in my heart. It's only been you. And it always will be."

"You know I can't be King, Dagger," his voice was so soft and tender. It made her shake. "I'm the worst thing that could have ever happened to you."

"You may think that," Garnet's dark eyes were overflowing with tears. The frame of her body was shaking beneath his hands. "But to me, Zidane, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I'm not going to lay down and take the punches any longer. You devastated me when you left again. You destroyed me." Her teeth were clenched now. "If you can't be King, then I can't be Queen. It's checkmate." Her wet eyes darted between his and she gave him a curt shake as she still held onto his coat. "Just tell me what I need to do, Zidane!"

He brought his hands up to cup her face beneath his calloused palms. "I need you to wake up, Dagger."

…

Garnet gasped sharply and she broke into a series of parched coughs. Her body scraped back and forth against gravelly dirt. After the coughing fit subsided, she blinked her eyes rapidly and sat up on her elbow. A dense mist surrounded her and it made goosebumps pucker across her skin. She couldn't see the sky above her. Garnet thought she'd never see the mist again. It had haunted her dreams in her youth and now it was invading yet again. Cautiously, Garnet sat up and hugged her dusty torso. She looked all around her, her blood running cold. The Eidolon Wall encased her. In the years since she had last seen it, the walls had crumbled a bit more and the lonely pillars in the center were slowly tilting over, ready to collapse. The etchings on the walls made Garnet's heart thump in her chest. Her breaths were shallow as she stared at the painting of Bahamut directly in front of her. There was an eerie silence around her as the mist wafted by in thickets. Garnet's shoulder rose and fell as she pressed her palms to the dirt beneath her.

"You probably don't remember, but you were born here, right in the center of the Eidolon Wall," Garnet's eyes shot over her shoulder to see Astrid standing not too far off. Her black eyes and lifeless skin was enough to make Garnet shake. "No one really remembers being born. But Gaia remembers every single birth." Garnet was silent as she came to her feet, only staring at Astrid with intense eyes. "Aw, what's the matter? Not feeling the family reunion vibes?" She held her arms out at her side.

"I saw your dead body," Garnet shouted back across the space of the Eidolon Wall. "I buried you."

"Yes. Yes you did," Astrid crossed her arms over her chest. "But that hole you put me in wasn't deep enough, I guess."

It's the cycle, Dagger. It's restarted.

Her skin grew clammy as she stared at Astrid. "How did you know I was born here?"

"If you listen closely, Gaia will tell you all its secrets," Astrid shrugged. "Not just what you want to hear, either."

"What do you want with me?"

"I can't just have a friendly chat with my dear sister?"

"Stop calling me that," Garnet replied sharply. "That's not what we are at all."

"And here I was thinking that we could bury the hatchet after so long," Astrid clucked her tongue. "Oh well, can't say I tried."

"Just tell me what you want," Garnet said, pressing her hand against her belt. Beneath her tunic, she felt the hilt of her dagger.

Astrid's face quickly became dark, but that annoying little smile on her blue lips remained. "Whatever you think you were going to accomplish here on the Outer Continent you can forget about, Garnet. If I couldn't lead a little chunk of the Mist Continent, then I decided why not an entire continent of my own?" Astrid took a few strides towards Garnet, but the Queen refused to give up ground to her. "I know why you're here, though. Gaia would never tell me a lie. You're after your beloved little canary who flew away all that time ago and left you all alone. It hurts, doesn't it? It stings right in the heart. I feel for you, Garnet, I really do. You may have come with him in mind, but I don't think you understand what you've bargained yourself for."

"Why is the mist here? There's no way you acted alone," Garnet said, scraping her boot against the gravel.

"I know when to give credit when it's due," Astrid remarked, her onyx hair framing her ghostly white face. "You successfully stopped the mist all those years ago, that's true. Zidane managed to use his unknowing powers to bring down the Iifa Tree so it could no longer be the vestige that harbored all the souls. You released those souls, allowed them to be free in the afterlife. They never had to roam this forsaken planet ever again. There were no chains. There was no more misery. But you know, it's a very interesting thing when hundreds die at once in an insurrection. Gaia hadn't known the power of so much death at once, not since the Iifa Tree had fallen. And when all those souls came together, making the familiar pilgrimage one does when they die, it was too much at once."

"So the Iifa Tree was reborn?" Garnet furrowed her brow.

"Not to the beauty it once was, no," Astrid shook her head. She paced in wide circles around Garnet. The Queen turned with her every step of the way. "But the little seedling it once was sprouted. New vines were born. And with it, the mist seeped out of it in all its glory and chose us from the insurrection to be its protectors. We were tasked with one very simple goal: to never allow the people of Gaia to forget all the planet does for them."

"I don't believe you," Garnet clenched her jaw. "The planet would never want its dead to rise again. That's why the saying goes 'rest in peace'. I had it inscribed on your gravestone."

"Maybe that's what you believed all those years ago," Astrid shrugged, folding her hands behind her back. She stopped a few feet away from Garnet now. "But there is just one flaw in your belief: Gaia was not itself at that time. Terra had it in a vice grip, using its own powers against itself. Gaia had nothing to gain, only to give. Now that Gaia is free, it can act on its own benevolence."

"This," Garnet gestured to Astrid. "This is not benevolence, Astrid. This is the cycle of life gone amok."

"You don't believe in second chances?" Astrid tilted her head slightly. "Perhaps, maybe then, you can explain that to them."

Garnet looked over her shoulder towards the entrance of the Eidolon Wall. There were dozens of people sporting the same black eyes and white, lifeless skin. There were blacksmiths, peasants, and postal men. There were even children. But standing at the front of them were Delta and Felicia. On Delta's neck, there was grotesque red, blue, and black scar. And for Felicia, her exposed midriff had the same. Garnet's breathing shallowed as she was confronted with a wave of people who used to be nothing more than ordinary citizens of Alexandria. And now, her dead people were staring her directly in the eyes. Her heart was thundering in her chest as she ground her teeth together, looking back at Astrid. The girl seemed quite pleased with herself in that moment.

"See what happens when you don't play by the rules?" She asked as, slowly, they all began closing in on the Queen.

8