Finding Echo'a

by ArtisticVicu

Named Miqo'te WoL goes through some things. Mostly just my WoL going through the game with liberal use of game dialogue sprinkled in with my own random things. Predominantly Shadowbringers and Endwalker content. Unless noted otherwise, each chapter is named for the quest it appears in. Replaying game so chapter count is in flux. Currently complete as is until Dawntrail patch 7.1.

31. Caging the Messenger

Chapter 32: Caging the Messenger

Echo'a lingered at the entrance as Hermes crossed towards the Ktisis scholars - or were they observers? - currently utilizing the space. Only Hythlodaeus slowed when he didn't follow the others, coming to a stop steps further behind Emet-Selch than he normally would have. Conversations were had and all but two started to herd creations and themselves back into the lower levels. The two remaining seemed quite intent to hold a conversation with Hermes for longer than what it would take for everyone else to leave so Echo'a started drifting along the edge of the Prime Artifice: Celestial Sphere, leaving the others to handle things that he had no right being involved in.

The interior of Ktisis Hyperboreia was impressive to say the least. Even just seeing a fraction of the facilities left Echo'a with the itch to explore every ilm and see every creation housed within but up on that highest level, he felt oddly detached.

Hythlodaeus's footfall was soft as it approached and he shifted his stance to easily meet the other's gaze. Hythlodaeus stopped at his side, smiling gently at him before looking at the view below. "Quite the sight, isn't it?"

His gaze returned to the star beneath them. "Very," he agreed. A breath and then, in a quieter voice, "You should see it from the moon." Hythlodaeus didn't say anything but he felt the other's gaze fall on him. He looked to the darkness above, the detached feeling becoming a weight in his chest he lacked the words to describe. "A seemingly perfectly round disk; blue and green and beige with streaks of ever-shifting white suspended against a blanket of stars." Or maybe he just didn't want to name the emotion; it didn't stop him from sharing it with Hythlodaeus, though. "A view that makes everything seem so insignificant." Hythlodaeus's hand was warmer than his own as it gingerly took hold. He gave the hand a squeeze and didn't let go, choosing instead to lean closer and was grateful when Hythlodaeus took his weight without reacting. "What lines have been drawn in the soil, what tragedies have befallen upon it or within it, they're impossible to see from that high up. Beyond the greenery speaking of some form of life, you can't see anything else. No animals, no people. Just a world as another pinprick in a star encrusted expanse." A humorless huff of a laugh escaped him. "Hard to see the point of it all when you're smaller than a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things."

He shifted, not that he was certain it was for more than to adjust his stance, but Hythlodaeus seemed to think otherwise, quickly engulfing Echo'a in a tight hug before he could consider pulling away properly. He didn't react, still too uncertain on where everything stood between them even after the short discussion on the flight over, but he also didn't pull away, suddenly caught by the fervent need to be comforted in much the same manner his aunts or grandmother would have back home.

It had been a very long time since he had suffered the bitter burn of homesickness.

They stood like that for a long moment, Echo'a's arms hanging limp at his side while Hythlodaeus held tight, before Hythlodaeus filled the air with words. "Even if it is all pointless in the end, that hardly negates their significance in the moment and immediate future. No amount of comparison will change the fact that you have done amazing things, survived events that would have broken others, surrounded yourself with those who do not care if you do tremendous acts of greatness or not." Hytholdaeus's grip tightened. "Even in our short time together, you have become someone precious to myself and Emet-Selch, someone we care greatly about and wish to help ease the burdens you suffer for the short time that we can." A pause and then softer, "No matter how fleeting this moment may be in the coming millenia, the time you have been here will be cherished and I will be saddened to see you leave. That will not stop me from thinking of you often, hoping that your hardships have finally come to an end so that you are able to truly live."

Echo'a buried his face more completely into Hythlodaeus's chest, his hands coming up to hold at Hythlodaeus's robes but not quite returning the hug. "So we're ok, then?" he asked, not caring how it sounded. Even if it came off a bit petulant, he had to know. "You and Emet-Selch aren't mad at me anymore?"

A hand carded through his hair and Echo'a turned his face to find that Emet-Selch had joined them, though he had no idea when the man had arrived, and it was Emet-Selch who spoke first. "I was never mad at you. Frustrated with your truth and overwhelmed by the prospect of it being ours, but the anger was never meant for you." Emet-Selch's expression tightened at the edges. "Not intentionally, at the very least." Emet-Selch met Hythlodaeus's gaze with a flat look. "And Hythlodaeus never gets mad at anyone so you most certainly don't have to worry about him."

Hythlodaeus rolled his eyes in good humor. "Oh, that is hardly the truth. There are plenty of instances where I have gotten mad."

Emet-Selch raised an eyebrow. "And this isn't one of them."

Hythlodaeus chuckled. "No, it isn't." Both pair of vibrant eyes fell onto him and he met them, still well and tucked against Hythlodaeus's chest. Both of them wore the same exact expression as his aunts or grandmother would when reassuring him. "You needn't worry about our ire, Echo'a, for there is none. Everything is ok now."

Echo'a buried his face into Hythlodaeus's chest again. What little relief came from that was drowned out by the inevitability of it all. At some point, he would have to leave and that brief respite of peace would end; this, would end. It would be fine, though. They would have time for him to share his story properly and he could make sure they knew how important to him they were as well.

He couldn't help but wonder at the expression that would cross Emet-Selch's face when he told the man he saw him as a parental figure similar to his aunts and grandmother. Would Emet-Selch scowl in embarrassment, gaining a giggle from Hythlodaeus who would be touched and humbled by the notion, or would Emet-Selch become quiet, touched by it as Hythlodaeus would be and moved in some way Echo'a wouldn't understand?

A thought drifted to the front and he turned his head enough to look at Emet-Selch. The smile he offered the man was meant to be cheeky but it felt a bit tired. "So can I start calling you Emet, now?"

Emet-Selch gave him a flat - though amused - look before the man ruffled his hair. "That is Emet-Selch to you and you know it." Echo'a chuckled, ducking more into Hythlodaeus as if that would let him escape Emet-Selch's hand. That hand stilled on his head and, after a breath, the man spoke, "The stragglers are finally on their way out. You better come join us after making such a fuss about hearing the full report."

The words were the familiar crass he had heard when they had first met but both the look on Emet-Selch's face and the hand still on his head spoke of it being used as a tease rather than contempt for his interference. He stepped away from Hythlodaeus, already missing the warmth of the embrace. "Ok."

Emet-Selch did not move, though his hand fell from Echo'a's hair. Hythlodaeus's hands cupped his head for a moment, halting his movement long enough for Hythlodaeus to press a kiss to his forehead. Echo'a managed a brief touch the back of one of Hythlodaeus's hands before the man pulled away.

Inevitable or not, he silently hoped they still had a few more days. He didn't want to leave yet.

Emet-Selch's hand lingered on his back as the pair walked him towards the upper center of the platform where Venat and Hermes stood with Meteion. Though Venat and Hermes looked their way as they approached, Meteion remained unresponsive.

Emet-Selch's hand fell from his back and the shifting of fabric told him the man had crossed his arms. "Now that we are all present and alone, let us hear it."

Hermes nodded and turned to Meteion. What calm Hermes had drawn forth seemed to fizzle out once he faced her. Echo'a took a step forward but it was Hythlodaeus who stopped him with a gentle hold on his shoulder. His initial instinct was to turn and try to get Hythlodaeus to let go but the man offered him a gentle smile, gesturing for him to wait a moment, and that initial instinct sputtered out even as his tail twitched behind him in unease. He set his gaze back on Hermes, catching the moment Hermes managed a steadying breath before kneeling before Meteion, softly coaxing, "Meteion, please continue with your findings. Was there happiness in those distant stars? Was there a reason for living?"

"We conducted our search as per your instructions," Meteion spoke without hesitation. "We scoured historical records. Communed with the spirits of the deceased. Heard the final testaments of the dying. Welcomed their shadowed hearts into our own." Echo'a's ears flattened against his head at that implication. The grief the Meteia would have suffered through. Alone. Hythlodaeus's hand flexed on his shoulder. Echo'a covered the other's hand, certain the ancient was having a harder time of this than he was. "One race had striven to create a world bereft of animosity. They renounced relationships to avoid interpersonal strife, and in so doing brought about societal collapse." Something flickered about Meteion's feet, drawing his attention. It…almost looked like black flames? Or was it more like smoke? "One race had renounced war and devoted itself to the enrichment of its people. They were conquered. Though they destroyed the enemy in reprisal, they could not regain their former glory." Whatever it was, it quickly climbed Meteion's form but didn't obscure her from view. Both Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch took a step closer to him, Emet-Selch a step before him with a hand hovering in front of Echo'a's chest and Hythlodaeus behind him with his free hand gingerly resting against Emet-Selch's arm. "One race had concluded that finite time was the root of all woes. Aspiring to shatter its shackles, they went in search of infinity. They discovered nothing is infinite, and that neither time or death can be cheated. Disillusioned, they gave up on the future - and themselves. One race had discarded all things that gave rise to sorrow, hoping to have only joy. They found joy lost its savor in the absence of sorrow, and lost their will to live." The dynamis - or was it despair made visible because of dynamis? - suddenly thickened around Meteion, a vortex of dark material blotting out that brilliant blue and pale skin. Two points of light where her eyes had been did not flicker in that vortex, steady as her gaze had been prior but leaving him unnerved. "Though worlds apart, these people shared a belief. The belief that they had tried their best. That they had tried to fulfill their potential, with every step and success. In the course of which they learned the truth." As her words carried on, the dynamis seemed to burn off, exposing first her feet - now as ashen as the dynamis that had first engulfed her - then her legs, her torso, her head. Every speck of color was completely gone in the wake of emotions that had to be pouring in from the Meteia still off world. "That they would never be free of fear and sorrow, anger and despair - of loneliness - so long as they yet lived. Even now, their souls cry out for oblivion. And to this song of anguish, I lend my voice. We lend our voice."

Echo'a found the palm of Emet-Selch's hand pressed hard against his chest, the tips of Emet-Selch's fingers digging into him as if the man was on the cusp of fisting the front of his robe in order to keep him from moving any further. Hythlodaeus's other hand clung to Echo'a's arm, both hands fervently holding on. He clung to Emet-Selch's arm, relieved and grateful in equal parts. He had no recollection of taking a step forward, of trying to approach Meteion, but he knew he had; even without the two ancients pushing and tugging at him, his stance alone was enough. Approaching her now would be too risky no matter how much his heart yearned to try and help her - to try and help all of the Meteia. Even though he had brushed aside the notion that the Meteia were the source of the threat when they had heard the first parts of the reports, he couldn't ignore the truth standing before him. The color change had not simply been for aesthetics. If a fragment of their Meteion remained within the collective, full of the love and joy she had experienced in Hermes's care, she was being drowned out by the whole. Approaching when none of them knew Meteion or the rest of the Meteia's capabilities was risking even greater disaster.

"O beloved mankind, shimmering jewels of beautiful Etheirys: rejoice, for we will free you from the cruel yoke of existence. There is no need to struggle in vain, for in nihility awaits salvation. You will know peace and serenity…and it will be beautiful. We will make our nest at the edge of the universe, and there in the dark of dead worlds hoard sorrow and suffering. There we will sing, our chorus ever louder and ever clearer, that our song may reach even this aether-shrouded star. Such is the answer we have found in the stars. Such is the gift we now offer to Etheirys."

Emet-Selch took a solid step forward, though his hand remained heavily pressed against Echo'a's chest. "Who are you to decide our fate?" he demanded, and Echo'a was reminded of the man's reaction to what he'd shared of the future. Vaguely, Echo'a wondered if that same conversation was on Emet-Selch's mind, too. "To decree we live or die?"

There was no response from the Meteia and Echo'a watched as Emet-Selch bared his teeth, anger and frustration raging in plain sight. Hermes muttered something too soft for Echo'a to understand but he clearly heard the sound of the man's voice in the short stretch of silence before Emet-Selch managed more words.

A sound blared to life, loud and concussive and fluctuating between tones, and he flinched as if to duck an invisible blow with his ears pinned flat against his head in pain. When he went to straighten, the world slipped around him and for a moment he couldn't even feel Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus's hands on him. His knee connected hard with the platform as his vision failed, his mind not registering what he was seeing as it felt like all of his strength had suddenly abandoned him.

"Echo'a!" Hythlodaeus shouted, barely audible over the blaring sound that seemed to refuse to stop. Some of his sight came back as the distinct sound of Emet-Selch snapping his fingers cut through the noise. He caught only a glimpse of his hand pressed flat against the platform as that familiar aether rushed through him.

He could see the platform through his hand.

He didn't get the chance to process that as Emet-Selch's aether suddenly clashed violently with his own. He clamped his eyes shut as he was immediately sick, heaving for far too long after there was nothing left to expel. It was like suffering from aetheric sickness, only this was far beyond any he had suffered previously. Confusion and panic tangled themselves in his chest as he struggled to get his thoughts working. They had never had this problem before with Emet-Selch giving him aether. Why was he rejecting it now? What had changed?

Venat's voice seemed oddly distant as she asked, "Is he ok?"; the words were nearly lost under Hythlodaeus shouting, "What did you do!?"

Foreign aether slammed into him, yanking him around until he was upright with his arms and legs bound straight. Whatever had bound him tight was the only reason he was even remotely upright as the nausea that had barely calmed rolled thickly through him, eager to make the threat of being sick again a reality.

Somewhere to his right, Emet-Selch's voice rang with outrage. "Have you lost your mind?!"

Hermes's voice was calm and steady as the blaring sound waned. "I simply activated the alarum in order to put Ktisis Hyperboreia into a state of alert, guaranteeing that all other personnel evacuate immediately. As it is the highest level of alert, a field of dampening magick has draped over the entire facility." The world finally settled around him, quelling the nausea enough for him to risk opening his eyes. The world remained steady as he lifted his gaze from the magical bindings churning around him to Hermes. "The Ktisis scholars and observers are unaffected but everything - and everyone - else will be weakened to a fraction of their usual capabilities. With it in place, your capabilities in both magicks and combat will be diminished significantly even should you break free."

The silence that followed Hermes's words was deafening as the alarum finally fell quiet.

The silence barely lasted as Hythlodaeus filled the air with sharp words. "So you chose to weaken us at the risk of killing Echo'a? Made of so little aether, the dampening effects would have ended his life had Emet-Selch been any slower to react, not to mention interfering with our magicks meant Echo'a was forced to needlessly suffer a haphazard aether transfer."

The stoic expression on Hermes's face flickered with regret for barely a heartbeat. "It was a calculated risk I had to take."

"Like hells it was!" Hythlodaeus shot back, jerking against his bindings.

Emet-Selch threw his own words at Hermes. "Even if you had known Echo'a would have been fine, you heard what Meteion said! She means to destroy us all, yet you'd still take her side!?"

That stoic expression only tightened. "In the name of the star, we have discarded those creations that we deemed flawed. If we ourselves are flawed, does it not stand to reason that we too should be discarded?"

"That is sophistry and you know it!" Emet-Selch countered sharply.

Hermes shrugged. "Perhaps it is. Perhaps I am wrong. But who is to say that you are right? Let us settle this with a determination. In my authority as chief overseer of Elpis, I will make a judgment on man's fitness to exist. If he can learn to value all life and retain his will to live, even should his end be justified, he will surely find a way to avert his demise. If not, he will perish from the star." Hermes was not the Fandaniel he knew but right then, for an instant, Echo'a could have sworn that he was. "As with all determinations, provisions must be made to ensure fairness. Kairos! Awaken!"

A massive object appeared with a burst of aether high over the edge of the platform behind Hermes and Meteion; it looked strikingly like a sundial except it was far larger than any sundial he had ever seen. Echo'a's ears flattened against his head as he bared his teeth, knowing where this was going. He thrashed briefly - uselessly - against the bindings. Even if he hadn't suffered from the dampening field activating, he knew there was no way he would have been able to break free.

-Memory reconfiguration system Kairos activated. Awaiting instruction.-

"Command: universal memory alteration." Echo'a glared at Hermes for all his worth. "Target area: Ktisis Hyperboreia. Starting point: arrival of Emet-Selch of the Convocation at Propylaion." Echo'a's heart sank sharply, stealing his breath. "End point: the present." Dread replaced it. "Erase the memories of all events, and replace with a vague recollection of the following:" His chest burned. "I was here, preparing to demonstrate the functionality of Kairos to Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus." His throat burned. "Meteion's shared consciousness became unstable. She and her sisters could not sustain their existence, and all dissipated with a burst." Echo'a hated it. "The resultant shockwave accidentally triggered Kairos, which erased several days of memories from all present." He hated all of it. "Execute."

-Command acknowledged. Initializing.- After everything - after everything - he should have expected this. Elidibus had warned him. No matter what he would have done, it would all be erased in the end and the proof hung in the air before him. -Three processes remaining to execution.-

Grief and outrage tore at him in equal parts.

"Bravo," Hythlodaeus spoke, the word crisp and even, drawing Echo'a back to the situation at hand. "I daresay one would be hard-pressed to make it fairer." Those vibrant purple eyes fell to Echo'a and he saw his own pain reflected in that gaze under the even expression Hythlodaeus was maintaining. It did nothing to hide the tears thick in Hythlodaeus's eyes and words. "Everything that you told us, everything that has happened- the fact we've even met…it will all be gone."

He wanted to scream but couldn't.

Hermes turned and faced Meteion. With the absence of the alarum blaring, their voices carried enough for Echo'a to hear every word.

"Go, Meteion," Hermes gently directed. "To the edge of the universe, where none can reach you."

Echo'a jerked in his bindings, startled at the sudden curl of Emet-Selch's aether against his own. The transfer of aether was far slower than previous ones but it was welcomed nonetheless as the nausea was quickly quelled. He couldn't help but wonder if the slowness was for his own benefit or a limitation from the dampening magicks draped over Ktisis. Or just Emet-Selch being careful; that was also an option.

"Hermes. Won't you come with me? If you were to shed your flesh, I should be able to carry you."

Hermes gave a huff of a laugh. "I will remain. As a man, I will oppose the oblivion you bring."

"Silly fool. Had you said yes, I would've granted you the gentlest end."

Without warning, the bindings around Venat shattered with a burst of aether. She threw herself forward without hesitation, sword already forming in hand as she yelled, "This ends here!"

The breaking of her bindings seemed to be warning enough for Hermes, though, as he turned and met her blade with a shield of aether. Venat's sword clashed hard with it but it was clear that she would not be breaking through.

The transfer of aether stopped abruptly before Emet-Selch's aether wrapped thickly around Echo'a. He felt smothered by it as it engulfed him, settling like a second skin between him and the bindings.

"Fly, Meteion!" Hermes shouted, drawing Echo'a's attention long enough for him to see Meteion take two hurried steps before leaping into the air.

The smothering aether expanded like an explosion at the same moment her feet left the ground and the bindings shattered. Echo'a attempted to land on his feet but his legs gave out the instant his weight was upon them and he was forced to take a knee. He heard Hythlodaeus collapse beside him but Emet-Selch remained standing, the sigil of the Emet-Selch seat blazen over his face for a moment. With barely a flourish, a staff appeared in Emet-Selch's outstretched hand as the man spat, "Enough of this."

Venat shoved off of the shield and out of the way as Emet-Selch shot at it. Hermes's shield took the blow with ease.

Venat raced to the edge of the platform. "Argos! To me!"

"I think not," Hermes countered. A flash of aether, a burst of wind, and Hermes was once more in the form he had taken to lead the way to Ktisis Hyperboreia. With barely more than a gesture, all four of them were targeted.

"Venat!" Echo'a shouted in warning, tearing his book from his hip and letting it fall open. There was a flicker of relief as he caught Hythlodaeus moving away from him out of the corner of his eye to not compound the incoming damage as he took the chance to summon his carbuncle.

It sprang into existence at his side but not quite fast enough. His command for it to shield him was a split second too slow and he took the brunt of the attack for it, not that it slowed him down. Searing Light rushed across the platform, bolstering the damage he and the others would deal for what always felt like too little time. He shoved himself back to standing before the visual effects of Searing Light faded, shouting, "Bahamut!"

The carbuncle jumped changing into Demi-Bahamut and he immediately pinned Hermes with as much damage as he could before the effects of Searing Light ended, offsetting the delay between Astral Impulse casts with Energy Drain and the subsequent two casts of Fester from the aetherflow charges it gave him. Somewhere off to his left, Hythlodaeus shouted at Venat, "Get after her! We've got his attention!"

Hermes seemed determined to prove Hythlodaeus wrong, though. Despite Echo'a having gained all of Hermes's attention from the consecutive blasts of magic, a portion of that attention turned back to Venat as the man deliberately summoned two panels in Venat's path. Another spawned behind Echo'a and a fourth to Emet-Selch's right. All three ancients seemed to know what those panels did because Hythlodaeus was beckoning to a running Venat while Emet-Selch grabbed at Echo'a as the man ran for Hythlodaeus as well. Emet-Selch's hand remained fisted in the back of his robes even when they made it to the others.

-First process complete. Two remaining to execution of memory reconfiguration.-

"We don't have time for this," Emet-Selch bit out as the first two panels released a blast of wind across the entire platform.

Echo'a grabbed at Venat as the group moved up on the platform, preemptively avoiding the final panel's path as the third one went off. "Go!" he urged her, pushing at her in the direction of the platform's edge. Demi-Bahamut disappeared from the field, his carbuncle appearing at his side in turn. "Before Meteion's lead gets any bigger!"

He caught only a glimpse of her hesitation as he turned, focusing on Hermes half obscured by Emet-Selch. What he could see around the man was enough to turn half his thoughts back to casting. He summoned Garuda-Egi, keeping up the barrage as Emet-Selch bolstered Echo'a's urging. "You heard him. We can manage just fine without you."

He only knew she committed to leaving when Emet-Selch's stance shifted to set eyes on Hermes again. A sharp wind slammed into them, the aether within it tearing at them. Emet-Selch focused on Hythlodaeus. "I'll hold his attention. You show Echo'a where to hit."

"No," Echo'a cut in quickly. "I'll hold his attention."

"Echo'a," one - or both - of them started but whatever was going to be said was cut off as Hythlodaeus shoved at them both, aiming towards the center of the platform; and just in time. Several boulders slammed into the platform. Echo'a staggered from the concussive force of the impact, surprised the whole platform hadn't trembled from it. It spoke volumes that his spellcasting wasn't interrupted from it, summoning Titan-Egi to keep up his quick casts with all of his wind attunement spent.

"Look, we don't have time to argue," Echo'a spoke, allowing himself to be manhandled up against one of the boulders. It meant he could keep up the spellcasting while talking. Vaguely he was aware of more panels being summoned. "Even without the dampening field, my attacks are going to be far less effective than anything you two will hit with, not to mention you two have worked together before." To what capacity didn't matter; they had a history and that was the point. He flinched when the panels on the opposite side of the boulder went off. It was Emet-Selch's grip on his upper arm that kept his stumbling at a minimum as the pair moved him to a different side. He spent the last of his earth attunement and summoned Ifrit-Egi even as he pointed out, "If you two can't hit him hard and fast, then I sure as hells won't."

"But without a healer-" Hythlodaeus started but the second set of panels went off.

He grinned as his carbuncle reappeared at his side. "I'll be fine; trust me." He locked eyes with Hermes. "I won't go down that easily." With a bit more flourish than necessary, he summoned Demi-Phoenix and sent the first barrage at Hermes as the effects of Everlasting Flight washed over the three of them, healing some of the damage they had sustained so far.

It seemed to be enough to reassure them.

Echo'a kept tabs on the other two as they moved to opposite sides but that was about it. What they did, how they communicated, Echo'a didn't dare try and track, barely managing to keep track of Hermes's attacks and his own spellwork.

-Second process complete. One remaining to execution.-

Seconds ticked by bleeding into the precious few minutes they had left. But was it enough time? Could they end this fight and either stop the process or get out?

Hermes turned abruptly and Echo'a swore as Hermes locked in on Hythlodaeus. Echo'a raced across the platform, the initial blasts from summoning Demi-Bahamut doing nothing to draw Hermes's attention. He barely made it arm's reach in front of Hythlodaeus when Hermes let the spell go.

Echo'a lost precious seconds, groggily coming to with his face pressed to Hythlodaeus's chest and Hythlodaeus bodily wrapped around him. He couldn't remember the attack landing. He tried to move and lost a second or three before his awareness snapped back into place as a hand buried itself in his hair, accompanied by a rush of Emet-Selch's aether. He was on his back now, still cradled against Hythlodaeus's chest. Emet-Selch was half knelt at their side, his hand still buried in Echo'a's hair even as the man shot another spell at Hermes.

"-like this, Hades," Hythlodaeus was rushing, his words sounding thick with pain and slightly muffled in Echo'a's ears. "If he keeps fighting, your reinforcement of his aether will fail."

"Then it's a good thing we're out of time for him to get back up and keep fighting anyway," Emet-Selch said, the words coming out sharp and annoyed. With one final - massive - spell let loose, Emet-Selch snapped his fingers as he turned back to them and grabbed the front of Echo'a's robe. With an impressive show of strength - or maybe he just weighed so little to the man - Emet-Selch tossed him into the air.

Venat caught him at the height of the throw and he grunted at the impact. For a gut wrenching moment, he thought she didn't have him and he was going to slip from Argos's back, but with a solid yank and a shove, she used his momentum and got him up behind her.

Emet-Selch's voice chased after him. "Even should your tale be false…" He looked back, catching both pairs of vibrant eyes on him. Blessedly, Hythlodaeus was standing again, even if he was leaning into Emet-Selch who had an arm around him. The pair were rather close to the edge and Echo'a had the horrible realization that he and Hythlodaeus had nearly fallen off the edge. He met Emet-Selch's gaze as the man continued, "Do not squander it. The legacy I leave you."

-Final process complete. Executing universal memory alteration,- was the last thing he heard as the upper level of the Ktisis Hyperboreia disappeared from sight.

Echo'a slipped from Argos's back feeling numb. He flexed his hands, watching them as if at any moment they would become see-through again, but his form held. He was certain that in those first brief seconds of unconsciousness, he had become see-through as he had when the dampening field had draped over Ktisis. He wasn't sure about the second time.

The sound of the grass behind him suddenly getting trampled drew his attention and panic, of all things, flooded his chest at the sight of Venat on the ground. He was relieved she wasn't splayed out but that didn't stop him from rushing over.

"I'm fine," she assured him, brushing away his hands before he could touch. "Just a little tired."

He understood that.

Without much care, he plopped back onto his rear and leaned back, his legs crossed so as not to kick Venat. He expected silence to settle between them, even if just briefly, but he had barely settled before she was talking again.

"Can it be true?" He lifted his gaze to her face but her eyes were cast to the sky above. "Are we the only ones left who see beauty in the world - in life? Are the stars above no more than husks of fallen civilizations? And yet…" Venat closed her eyes. "…I feel her. Though she is unimaginably distant, I feel Meteion's presence," Venat met his gaze, "and the place whereto we must go. Ere she made good her escape, I placed an enchantment upon her. One which allows us to follow her trail. She has already left the outermost bounds of Etheirys, and continues on her way. Given the vastness of the universe, it will still be no easy feat to track her down. But thanks to Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus, all is not lost. We remember. So long as we remember, our fates remain ours to shape."

For some reason, that rubbed him wrong. He hid it under pretense. "So. What now?"

"What indeed." She stood slowly, letting out a sigh once she was standing. "Let us begin by ascertaining the situation at Ktisis Hyperboreia, where the others should still be. Given the likely state of their memories, however, 'twould be imprudent for us to approach them directly. In which case…" Echo'a pushed himself back up onto his feet as she crossed to Argos. She ran a hand down the dog's neck and shoulder as he joined her. "I am sorry, my friend. I've asked much of you this day, but may I trouble you one last time?"

Argos seemed unperturbed if not a bit tired and gave a yip as if to say yes. Echo'a frowned, rubbing at the top of Argos's head from the other side. "What are you going to have Argos do?"

"Argos will investigate in our stead," Venat said simply. "We will share in his consciousness, and see and hear as if we were with him."

It's a good idea - one he should probably go through with - but the numbness was fraying at the edges. If he heard their voices…

He shook his head. "If Argos doesn't mind taking me with, I'd rather see them with my own eyes. I'll even get off some distance away to not be seen and Argos can get as close as you need him to. I just…" All he had was the truth. "I don't think I can handle hearing them."

His skin crawled when her hand covered his. Without reacting, he met her gaze feeling a bit too exposed by his own words. She offered him a soft smile. "Once I am certain everything is fine, I will send Argos back to you."

He nodded.

"There, Argos," he gently directed as Argos cut through the trees. The dog landed on the southern edge of the last ridge leading to Ktisis Hyperboreia. Argos whined with a small head tilt as he slipped off and he patted the familiar's neck. "I don't want to be seen, remember?" he offered, his tone fond and amused. "Go get closer for Venat, alright?"

Argos butted up against him for a brief second before bounding off, leaping over the boulder that blocked the entrance from view.

He drifted towards his left until the crowd before the entrance came into view. It wasn't until he was between two trees - a young growth and a not so young growth almost within arm's reach of each other - that he was able to make out Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch.

He let out a shaky breath. They were both standing unsupported. Emet-Selch was even supporting a ragged looking Hermes, which Echo'a figured made sense; between the three ancients, Emet-Selch would have been the least injured. Hermes back in his original form was a bit surprising but he hadn't bothered to glance the man's way when he had escaped with Venat and there was no telling what had happened after he lost sight of the platform, not to mention he had no idea what effects came with being subjected to a memory alteration that spanned a number of days.

He frowned. The view suddenly changed like the ground beneath him had dropped a good fulm. Looking down proved that the ground was still very solid beneath him. No, instead, his legs had simply given out. Not bothering to rise from his knees, he tipped sideways and settled his back against the larger tree. He put his feet flat on the ground and used his upturned knees as a place to prop his elbows as he buried his face into his hands.

Grief rolled through him thick and demanding, dragging sobs out of him as if it could purge the pain that way. He did nothing to quell it, not fully at least. The only thing he controlled was the noise. He was not proud of the fact that he could sob relatively quietly if he wanted to but at the moment, he was going to exploit that particular skill. The last thing he wanted was to be found out from his crying.

Gods. He wanted to go home. He wanted to just go home and run away from the disaster returning to the past had become, from the unjustness of being the only one to remember, that Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch wouldn't-

...remember us...
Remember...that we once lived...

But that wasn't fair to them, to run from this, to deny any of it happened. No matter how much it hurt, he had to bear it so that the brief moment of respite was not completely lost to time. Even if he would never get to see them again, even if he never got the chance to tell them his story and what they meant to him, he could remember this. He could remember them.

When Argos returned, the sobbing had stopped. His face still felt raw from it and it certainly didn't feel like he was done but, for the moment, he wasn't crying anymore. He rubbed at the dog's neck as it butted against his shoulder, offering some form of comfort in its own way. A part of him hoped Venat wasn't still watching.

It took him far too long to get back onto his feet.