Chapter 43: You're Not Alone
"Here the path ends. There is no way to reach our nest," Meteion said as he came to a stop on the last outcrop. "I told you. Resignation and acceptance reign in this place. The rejection of life by those who came to curse it. Those whose dreams were unfulfilled. Whose prayers were unheard. Whose labors were unrewarded." A slight frown pulled at his otherwise neutral expression. Even with how numb he was to all of it, the voices of the past had been adamant in proving it all wrong. Yes, he was resigned to jumping through the hoops once more but that didn't mean this was over. Not by a long shot. "Hope cannot deliver you unto hopelessness. Our refuge is beyond you. Always has it been. Such is the nature of this place." His tail flicked as, for a moment, the Meteion before him seemed to shift in personality; a weighted pause and a drifting gaze spoke a lot when she had been so still and so intent on watching him. "You should have remained on Etheirys." Or maybe he was simply misinterpreting it, too numb to truly understand her motives and movements. Her gaze settled on him once more. "Struggle will avail you naught, nor will it grant your comrades peace. Come, let me relieve you of your burden. You have suffered enough."
Laughter bubbled out of him at that offer as he raised an eyebrow in question. "Surely you know me better than that, Meteion." The Azem crystal was warm in his hand; he couldn't remember when he had grabbed it but it brought forward good memories and bad in equal measures. He idly rolled it about in his hand. "No matter the hardships, no matter how tired I might get or how done I might be, I have people I want to follow after and see what they create, who they become; promises of adventures and new memories I want to hold to; and it's a bit hard to do that when you're dead." The now familiar magic circle wrote itself across the stone under his feet, glowing in that comforting light. "So, as tempting as the thought of finally stopping may be, thank you for the offer but I will have to decline."
Two circles came to life with magic. He had promised not to bring them back, to keep moving forward, so he wasn't sure what he had expected to see when those beans of light relinquished their summons. All he knew was when the magic dissipated and two forms draped in black remained, he had not been expecting them.
"I bid them remember," Echo'a stopped breathing, "but all this time, I'm the one who had forgotten…" Emet-Selch - or, at least, what of him was summoned - sighed heavily, massaging the bridge of his nose. "A right fool you've made of me, Hermes." Crossing his arms, Emet-Selch added sharply, "And to add insult to injury, I've been denied a sound rest, forced to watch this clamorous show."
The summoned Hythlodaeus chuckled, a hand coming up as if to hide the small smile that came with. "Oh come now, it's been a gripping tale. Unbreakable bonds and noble sacrifice, sprinkled with moments of levity to counterbalance the pathos. It's got it all. I for one would have been perfectly content to watch enraptured from the stalls," Hythlodaeus turned just enough to look back at Echo'a and winked at him, "but I won't say no to a bit part."
Momentum filled his body of its own accord but he didn't care. He covered the distance between himself and the two ancients as quickly as he could.
Emet-Selch caught him as he plowed into the dour man. He clung to those robes as he buried his face into Emet-Selch's chest, shoving the mask aside with his movement. Emet-Selch's arms wrapped tightly around him, pinning him in place with enough force that it should have hurt. It didn't.
"You do realize I'm not really here," Emet-Selch drawled. The words sounded sad.
Echo'a shook his head. "You remember, and that's enough." A hand settled on his head. He blindly grabbed at Hythlodaeus and pulled as soon as he gained purchase until the other was close enough to hug too. Emet-Selch did not relinquish his grip but Hythlodaeus had no troubles finding a way to reciprocate. "It's enough that I get to say goodbye this time, real or not."
Both touches tightened at that.
"What are you?" drifted towards them on Meteion's voice.
Emet-Selch answered, the eye roll audible. "Half-faded souls of the dead. Isn't it painfully obvious? Worry not. We haven't the power to defeat you. Nor is it our duty to do so." One of Emet-Selch's hands settled on Echo'a's head as he added, softer, "Not anymore."
Emet-Selch's attention returned to Meteion, though only briefly. "That being said, we do have a score to settle." Emet-Selch moved his hands to Echo'a's shoulders, allowing Hythlodaeus to hug Echo'a more properly from behind. Echo'a's hands lingered on Hythlodaeus's arms as he met those vibrant yellow eyes. They held his gaze for only a moment before Emet-Selch took a solid step back, those vibrant yellow eyes drifting over what counted as landscape. "So. Here I am, Venat. I suppose you needed me to tie it all together, these frayed threads of our history. But knowing you, I suspect there's a joke in it too. Oh yes, I can imagine you gloating over my forgetfulness." Emet-Selch huffed a laugh, shaking his head. "Were I feeling charitable, I might assume you had left room for the possibility of this outcome. Even so, you'll get no applause from me. A single gesture will not lighten the burden I've had to bear." Those vibrant yellow eyes fell onto Echo'a again as Emet-Selch said to him, "Still, you must be commended. Our methods would not have brought mankind this far." Emet-Selch's hand ran over Echo'a's head one last time. "And so, as a show of respect to the last of us, I make this declaration." Hythlodaeus gave Echo'a a squeeze before stepping away to stand at Emet-Selch's side. Emet-Selch took a solid step back and used it to turn and point at Meteion, his voice hard with surety. "You will not end our journey. That is our answer. The answer of all lives of Etheirys, past and present."
Aether bloomed to life at the feet of both ancients, illuminating the pair and the surrounding stone. For a breath, Echo'a expected them to act, but when Hythlodaeus turned and smiled at him, he knew it had been folly to expect such. Hythlodaues's words were content, encouraging, as he told Echo'a, "As you've called us to the stage, so shall we perform. And creation magicks never fail to please. Drawing upon the hopes of your comrades, we will make for you a new path."
Emet-Selch turned so that his side was facing Echo'a but met his gaze steadily. There were glimpses of fondness at the soft edges of the stoic expression. "What form said path takes depends on you. So focus. Focus and envision that which rejects the claim that you cannot attain your goal."
'That which rejects the claim…' That which is proof of Meteion's claim being wrong. Something that proved that hope existed even in that farthest corner of the universe.
A flower, pure white, a brilliant yellow, the gentlest of blues, the darkest of purples, an untouched spectrum of colors, came to mind.
He clutched the crystal to his chest as he suddenly yearned to show those flowers to Meteion, to show them in all their radiance.
And that was enough, it seemed, as Hythlodaeus turned and simply uttered, "Ours is the wisdom to weave the fabric of reality. Ours is the power to create!"
Emet-Selch raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
There was a rush of air with the burst of aether. He sucked in a breath, reveling in the brief sensation of Emet-Selch's aether filling the air before dissipating in a familiar way. He opened his eyes, swallowing against the grief that pressed against his lungs as he watched petals drift back down to the field of flowers below.
"Meteion. Though I gave you these wings to soar the heavens, I did not teach you how to walk the earth. So loath was I to bind another living being. In the course of your long journey, you will learn from those you meet. Learn to walk and run and so much more. …A flower. Yes. Upon your return, I will gift you a beautiful flower."
Words he had heard through the Echo rang once more in his ears. His heart went to Meteion, praying she heard them once more as well, that she understood he did this as much for her as he did it in Hermes's stead.
And maybe she did. It was apparent that the flowers had some impact on her at the very least as she crumpled to her knees, hugging herself. The desire to cross that field and wrap her in a tight hug burned through him but he only allowed himself to move as close as was necessary to settle into Hythlodaeus's side, the ancient happily wrapping an arm around him.
"These Elpis blooms serve as proof that this realm is not utterly devoid of hope," Emet-Selch spoke, inexplicably drawing Echo'a's gaze. "No more can you deny its power. No more is yours the dominion of despair." Emet-Selch looked at him and raised an eyebrow. The teasing smirk ghosting the man's lips spoke volumes. "In case the practical implications were lost on you, your comrades no longer need to fight their fight." Hythlodaeus withdrew, pausing long enough to press a kiss to the top of Echo'a's head before following Emet-Selch to the edge of the field. Emet-Selch waved for him to get on with it but the man's words were gentle, encouraging even, even if he tried to make them snide. "So, go on. Call them back to your side."
He could bring them back.
The relief from that thought alone was heady and he couldn't tell if it made him want to laugh or cry. He offered the pair a tight smile and a nod before he closed his eyes and brought his fist still clutching the Azem crystal to his face, the knuckle of his first finger pressing hard at the front of his brow. He was going to see them again; they were going to live. "You can come back now," he muttered as the magic circle illuminated the ground beneath the flowers once more. "Come home."
Lowering his hand, he set his gaze on the beams of light around him. In quick succession the beams disappeared, relinquishing each of his friends in turn. He turned slowly where he stood to set eyes on each of them, not quite believing they were back even as he was so relieved they were.
Little particles of light started drifting upwards around him, gaining his attention. Looking down expecting to see it coming from the flowers, he found the particles coming from his hand holding the Azem crystal and he opened it to watch the last of Hydaelyn's gift fade from the crystal. His gaze followed the last of the particles as they drifted skyward, slowly dissipating as they went, and his fingers curled back around the Azem crystal.
Movement drew his gaze back down.
"How disappointing," Thancred commented from somewhere behind his right shoulder as he locked eyes with Alisaie. Tears immediately blurred his view of her and he blinked them back as best he could; it would be only a matter of time before he was crying, though. "Not even a single scar in the making to brag about."
She met him halfway, throwing her arms around his neck as he caught her and crushed her to his chest in as tight of a hug as he could manage as he buried his face into her shoulder.
Estinien's familiar chuckle drifted towards them before the man's voice chased after with an amused, "You'll find a way regardless."
He carefully put her weight back on her feet before letting go, looking to Alphinaud who had approached at a slower but no less eager pace. He pulled Alphinaud in by the shoulder and wrapped his arms tightly around him, pressing his face to the other's hair as Alphinaud hugged him back just as tightly. The breath Alphinaud released into his shoulder shook Alphinaud's entire body.
"Honestly," Y'shtola sighed, sounding equal parts exasperated and amused. "This is far more than any of us could have hoped for. Let us be thankful."
"Good to see you again," Alisaie said, her voice cast low so as not to carry as Urianger responded to Y'shtola's comment. Both twins caught one of his hands when Echo'a and Alphinaud parted, and while Alisaie snagged Alphinaud's other hand, her gaze remained on Echo'a. "Our heroic sacrifice paid off, I take it?"
He chuckled at that and gave her hand a squeeze. "Yes," he said, "but hopefully," the sound of someone approaching drew his attention over his left shoulder and he met G'raha's gaze as G'raha slowed to a stop within arm's reach, "that's the last of the heroic sacrifices."
G'raha reached up and rubbed one of Echo'a's cheeks dry with his palm, those ruby eyes filling with their own tears despite the soft smile never wavering. His own smile crumbled almost instantly as he slipped his hand free of Alisaie's grip, pinning G'raha's hand in place only to turn into the touch, squeezing his eyes shut. The tears he had been valiantly ignoring fell freely as he muttered, "I'm so tired."
There had been more context to that statement, more words for it to paint a more accurate picture, but the statement within and of itself was not a lie. G'raha tugged him forward and Echo'a found his face tucked into G'raha's neck, the hand that had been on his face burying itself in his hair as G'raha enveloped him. A bitter sob tore through him as the first of many, an unrelenting storm of both grief and relief overwhelming him. He felt Alphinaud and Alisaie huddle against his back, their foreheads pressing to either side of the nape of his neck. After a moment, Thancred's hand settled on his head between his ears and he was certain the other three were close at hand as well.
The overwhelm was blessedly short lived and he pulled back enough to rub his face dry, his breath steady once more. Thancred mussed his hair, pressing with enough force that Echo'a instinctively ducked under the pressure. A chuckle bubbled out of him as he set his gaze on Thancred. Estinien was standing to Thancred's left, the pair flanking G'raha's left, and the Dragoon patted him on the shoulder as the twins drew away. His gaze turned briefly to Y'shtola and Urianger where they lingered close behind G'raha's right shoulder. Both gave him a smile and a nod.
G'raha cupped his face to draw back his attention. A soft smile graced the other's expression. "One last task, one final goal to complete, and then we can go home."
Echo'a covered G'raha's hands as he chuckled with unimpressed amusement. "Averting the Final Days is no small task."
Alphinaud's hand settled on the back of his left shoulder; G'raha's hands fell from his face allowing him to look towards the young elezen that gave him an encouraging smile. "Thus why you are not alone." Alphinaud's gaze swept over the others. "Come, my friends. Let us carry on and finish this - together."
Together.
Echo'a's gaze settled on Meteion still huddled in on herself among the flowers.
Together.
The others parted as he took a step forward but they did not follow as he crossed the short distance. He sank to a knee before her, his heart aching for her once more. How long had Meteion been alone with the pain of countless stars, left with nothing but the scattering of individual consciousnesses that made up the whole of the Meteia to process what they had witnessed? Even if the chance of success was astronomically slim, he had to try and reach her. If not for the fate of Etheirys, he had to at least try for Hermes. He gently rested his hand on her head, softly encouraging, "Come with us, Meteion."
She gasped, curling more into herself and away from his touch.
He had half a second to believe it hadn't worked before a great cacophony of cracking resounded above their heads. His gaze snapped to the planet above and watched as the surface cracked and split apart, massive chunks of rock falling from an aetherial blue surface underneath. Though surface was probably the wrong term for the substance, for the portion exposed was more viscous than any surface had a right to be. The aetherial blue matter now exposed coalesced and behaved much like water collecting on the tip of a leaf, reaching down as it formed a massive droplet. But when it seemed the droplet was on the cusp of separating completely from that of the planet, it stopped. A shimmer crossed the exposed surface, illuminating it.
"Can you…hear me…?" Echo'a's ears perked at the voice, focusing back on Meteion. Whether it was truly her or not, that voice was reminiscent of the consciousness he had met in his time in the past. "The voices within… Crying in pain, wailing in sorrow… Hurting… Hurting…" She raised her head, pleading, "End it. Silence it." The familiar aura of dynamis flickered to life, dancing from her being as the last of her plea rang out: "Silence our song of oblivion!"
In a whirl of that dark aura, the Meteion before them transformed into a bird and quickly flew into the mass hanging before the final outcrop.
Hythlodaeus's words drifted towards him, faint as the words were not meant for him or the others. Not exactly. "The way is open." He turned and looked to the two ancients. "They can process."
Those vibrant yellow eyes focused on Echo'a and held his gaze. "So it seems."
Emet-Selch raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
As their forms were illuminated by aether, the beginnings of them returning to the aetherial sea, Echo'a started to walk towards them. Hythlodaeus's gaze settled on him at his movement, that familiar smile gracing Hythlodaeus's expression.
"You're leaving?" Alisaie asked in disbelief as Hythlodaeus opened his arms to Echo'a. He didn't hesitate, stepping right into that embrace and hugging Hythlodaeus for all he was worth.
Emet-Selch scoffed. "Of course. The encore is finished, and I will not suffer myself to live again by Hydaelyn's magick." Echo'a couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at that. Emet-Selch's unimpressed flat look met his gaze when he turned his head to look at the man and Echo'a became the target of Emet-Selch's next words, though they were meant for the others as well. "But more than that, the future you seek is not the past we loved. That is why we fought." Emet-Selch reached out and dropped his hand rather unceremoniously onto Echo'a's head. "And why I lost."
Hythlodaeus gave him a squeeze before letting go, hands lingering on Echo'a's arms for as long as possible as Hythlodaeus stepped out of reach. Emet-Selch's hand slipped from his head. "You will do well with our dreams, won't you?" Hythlodaeus asked, the words encouraging and light even though it wasn't truly a question. "Though we may not be able to tend to our star anymore, you and yours are capable of protecting it in our stead." Hythlodaeus beamed at Echo'a. "You defeated the all powerful Emet-Selch, after all, and that is not an easy feat."
Emet-Selch rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in indignation. "I will never understand why you find such enjoyment out of teasing me as such." Echo'a quietly chuckled when Hythlodaeus simply shrugged, his hands raising with palms up in the motion. Despite the heaviness of the sigh, Echo'a could hear the fondness in it. "Honestly. You and him both will be the end of me." Emet-Selch set his gaze back on Echo'a, not offering any context to who the second person was he was referring to. "But though you defeated me, my ideals are inviolate. Invincible."
Emet-Selch's gaze flickered back towards the others. Echo'a was rather surprised when the man didn't just outright roll his eyes, though the notion was rather thick in his words. "Spare me your pity. I have no use for it. If you would do something for me: save our star. See this tale to a triumphant conclusion, and with elation in your hearts, bid the final curtain fall." Those vibrant yellow eyes met his gaze once more. "Only then may it rise again and a new tale begin, with new parts for all to play."
Something flickered across Emet-Selch's expression, something more complex than Echo'a could parse out. Still, it remained there as Emet-Selch reached out and tugged him into a crushing hug one last time. Echo'a returned it with all his worth, his face once more pressed into the man's chest. A heavy sigh escaped Emet-Selch, as if the man was coming to terms with some thought, before he asked with words light, curious, eager, and probably not quite loud enough to carry far, "Tell me, have you been to the ruins beneath the waters of the Bounty? Or the treasure islands beyond the frozen waters of Blindfrost, in Othard's north?" Echo'a adjusted in Emet-Selch's unrelenting grasp to meet those vibrant yellow eyes watching him, taking him in. "The fabled golden cities of the New World? The sacred sites of the forgotten people of the south sea isles? What about Meracydia, the southern continent? Do you know aught of its present state of affairs?" Be it Echo'a's lack of answer or seeing the curiosity playing about in the otherwise oblivious expression on the miqo'te's face, Emet-Selch let out a huffed laugh, letting Echo'a go. "...I thought not." Emet-Selch's hands lingered on Echo'a's arms. "Even of your little Eorzea, you know precious little. The true identities of the Twelve, for instance." That perked Echo'a's interest and it perked his ears in turn. "All of which is to say: expand your horizons. Go forth and seek discovery. Some of the civilizations in the reflections will surprise you. As the bearer of Azem's crystal, you may consider your duty to see at least that much." Emet-Selch's touch fell free as the man gave him a small smile. "I certainly did."
Echo'a beamed at him as he retreated a few paces; the smile on his face was tempered by a soft touch of grief. "If I don't see it all by the time we next meet, I'm sure you'll drag me about by the ear to see every corner I missed."
Emet-Selch didn't outright laugh but the raise of both eyebrows and a snarky, "Oh, I most certainly will," was certainly close enough.
Hythlodaeus's melodious laughter was short lived but nonetheless pleasant to hear and it drew Echo'a's gaze. Those brilliantly purple, laughter filled eyes lingered on Echo'a for but a moment before drifting over the others behind him. "I pray we meet again. If not in this life, then perhaps another. Whensoever it should be, I trust it will be a most joyous reunion."
Emet-Selch scoffed, crossing his arms. "For you, maybe." A tease, blatant, though it probably wasn't quite as obvious to those that didn't know him, or had come to know him as Echo'a had. "I want nothing to do with it."
Hythlodaeus chuckled, turning to push the back of his fingers against Emet-Selch's arm. Emet-Selch didn't even budge, refusing to give Hythlodaeus anything. "Oh, don't be that way. You know you are looking forward to it as well."
"Thank you, Emet-Selch," Echo'a spoke out, drawing the gaze of both ancients. "For…" He shrugged. "For everything."
Emet-Selch didn't immediately respond, taking the time to slowly uncross his arms. "You know, the bearer of that crystal of yours was quite the pain. He would constantly call me Emet no matter how much I complained about it." Emet-Selch met his gaze and he watched those eyes soften. "I don't care much for encouraging bad behavior but if you let anyone else call me Emet, dragging you around by the ear to see your own world will be the least of your worries." Emet-Selch smirked. "Do not disappoint me."
Fresh tears blurred the edges of his view of them as he grinned, big and bright. "I wouldn't dream of it." His grin softened as those fresh tears escaped. "Be well, Emet; Hythlodaeus."
They nodded as their forms vanished with a burst of aether, the particles drifting skyward and dissipating.