"The army, unfortunately, has been unable to make any significant progress towards preventing the construction of the most recent reactor."

"Still? It's been years now, how is that possible?"

It was a struggle for Vincent to pay as much attention as he knew he should have been to the conversation taking place—especially considering how directly related to the war it was. The problem wasn't so much with the news from the front lines, but rather the person who was currently interacting with the poor soul who'd brought it. As was usual these days, Raena continued to rail against the messengers bringing word of the war's progress, as if it was their fault for the less-than-ideal news. He hoped they were paid a bit extra for having to put up with her.

"My apologies, Loremas—" The poor man abruptly cut off, his face turning a shocking white color. "Archmage!" he shrieked. "My apologies, Archmage!" But it was already too late.

"Get out of my sight," Raena spat, a fierce scowl marring her face. "And never enter these chambers again!"

Vincent was almost positive she didn't have the authority to ban him from the Council room, but Raena wouldn't let that stop her from at least trying. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Eola gesturing to a woman standing against the wall who gave a subtle nod before following the messenger out—presumably to apologize for his rude dismissal.

"Isn't that a touch extreme, oh esteemed Archmage?" Irian asked. "The man accidentally grabbed the scarlet yarn instead of the crimson, surely a mere correction is all that is required, no?"

"I have been the Archmage for five years now. Plenty of time for people to have gotten used to it, and I demand the respect my position deserves!" she declared, eyes scanning the room to see if there was anyone who dared to disagree with her.

Vincent dearly wanted to point out that it was hard to show any adult respect when they threw childish temper tantrums at the smallest perceived slight, but he restrained himself—knowing that as satisfying as it would be, it wouldn't accomplish anything. No one else spoke up in response either, leaving the chambers to fall into an awkward silence.

"We need to discuss ways to break this stalemate and end the war decisively in our favor," Raena eventually said. "It is completely unacceptable that it's dragged on for this long already."

"Are you . . . suggesting we're not trying to do exactly that?" Vincent asked. The woman already annoyed him, but didn't she realize Cetra were dying by the day, trying to do exactly what she was saying?

"Of course not. I simply continue to question how we're struggling so much when we're the ones with magic. Crushing the Human armies should be child's play!"

They'd gone over this several times already, but . . . Vincent took a deep, calming breath. "The Humans have proven to be far more tenacious than we expected," he said, hating how it sounded like an excuse. "They were also clearly preparing well in advance, and that—combined with their superior numbers—has worked in their favor. It doesn't help that they somehow have Materia of their own."

A scowl spread across Raena's face, her fists clenching at her sides. "Yes, that traitor Gast has shown his true colors—giving away our secrets and costing hundreds of Cetra their lives."

"We have no evidence backing that up," Irian pointed out.

Vincent nodded his thanks to his friend, knowing that Lucrecia, were she present, would have made the same remark. Likely in a far more aggressive manner, but to be fair, Reana would have deserved it.

Raena snorted. "Oh please, you expect me to believe that the Humans managed to discover the secret behind creating Materia on their own? In only a few years? Don't make me laugh. They only began showing up on the battlefield after Gast fled. That is no coincidence."

"Assuming that's true, which I doubt, we should almost be thanking the man. Those new weapons of theirs have done far more damage to their own troops than ours." At least for now. Vincent feared what would happen if they managed to stabilize those horrible creations.

Eola quietly cleared her throat as she stood, the rest of the Council going silent as they waited for her to speak. "I agree with the Archmage that it is time to end this foolish war."

A jolt of alarm shot through Vincent, causing him to no longer slouch and instead sit bolt upright in his chair. Eola was throwing her support behind Raena? He shot Irian a worried look, seeing a similarly concerned expression on the other man's face. This was a complete disaster. How in Gaia's name had Raena managed to sway her?

"And the quickest and easiest way of doing so is by beginning to commence peace talks."

The room erupted in shouting as Eola finished and returned to her seat. Vincent could have sworn she was smiling softly, but he was mostly thankful to realize his fears were unfounded. It took several minutes for the commotion to die down. Once it had, Raena angrily walked over to stand before Eola.

"So we're just to forgive the Humans for everything they've done? Stand back and watch as they continue to spread their buildings that kill the Planet? You want us to just give up?"

"There is no way forward like this!" Eola responded in a surprising display of passion. "A path forged by weapons and Materia can only end in a tide of blood that will sweep everything we care about away! And yet, all we can do right now is work towards a peace that hopefully comes before we are overwhelmed by death and despair. If that chance comes, I hope we can have the courage to set aside our differences, lay down our weapons, and prepare for the true fight: ensuring that we never again need to pick them back up."

The older woman took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "We've tried your way for five years now, Archmage, and look where it has gotten us. Too many Cetra have fallen before their time. It may not bother you, but I am sick and tired of watching those younger than me have their flames snuffed out. Ending this war does not require forgiveness, but it will involve compromise. At the very least, we should attempt to see what can be achieved through conversation. The Humans should want this war to end just as much as we do, and we would be remiss in our duties to our people to not try every option available to us."

To Vincent's surprise, many of the other Council members were nodding their heads, including several of Raena's closest followers.

For her part, Raena was nervously looking around, seeming to recognize that the room's sentiment was shifting against her. "I wanted to wait until I was farther along, but the Council should know I'm making excellent progress on a new spell, one that will decisively end this war in our favor. We won't need to compromise if we can simply end this on our terms."

Vincent frowned. The claim was as bold as it was preposterous, and yet, Raena didn't appear to be bluffing. Glancing over at Irian, his friend appeared equally troubled. How could a single spell end a war all on its own? The only things that came to mind were too horrible to even contemplate.

"That is . . . interesting to hear, Archmage," Eola said, her brow furrowed. "We clearly have much to consider. For now, I'd like to call this session to a close in order to give everyone time to come up with ideas for initiating talks with the Humans. We'll go over the proposals at the next meeting. Dismissed."

Rising to his feet, Vincent walked over to join Irian near one of the roots of the great tree as the other members began filing out of the room.

"It sounds like we might be getting closer to finally untangling this ball of yarn doesn't it, my friend?"

"Perhaps," Vincent said with a half smile. "I can't imagine Raena will let it end so easily, but it's encouraging at the very least to see that support for her has declined over these past few years."

"Indeed. And while I'm sure it will still be a long and painful process, I wholeheartedly agree with Eola—too many lives have had their threads snipped short."

Vincent opened his mouth to reply when, to his surprise, Eola of all people joined them. "Pardon the intrusion, but do you have a moment, Warmaster? I have a favor to ask."

Swallowing nervously, he turned to face her as Irian bowed his head and moved to leave. "Of course, what can I do for you?"

"Dear, we have a visitor!" Vincent called out, stepping through the door of their home and holding the door open for the guest behind him.

He heard Lucrecia's footsteps from upstairs a moment before she came into view at the top of the staircase. "Oh? Is it Irian? I was thinking of ordering a new dress from him."

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but it's only me," Eola replied, entering the house behind him.

His wife stumbled on her way down the stairs, barely managing to catch herself on the railing. "Eola?!" What are you—I'm not dressed appropriately to greet you. Please, give me a moment to—"

"Peace, Lucrecia," the other woman replied, a thread of amusement mixed in with her words. "I'm not here on Council business. Just an old woman, stopping by to see a friend."

"I . . . see. Well at least allow me to quickly brew some tea. Vincent, will you show her to the living room?"

He nodded. "Of course."

"You could have warned me!" his wife hissed in his ear as she passed him on the way to the kitchen. "Who introduces the Head of the Council as a simple visitor?"

"But this was so much more enjoyable," Vincent whispered back, struggling to hold in his amusement. "Besides, it was her idea, not mine."

Truth be told, he was still reeling from Eola's request to drop by and meet with Lucrecia. While he'd known that the two of them had gotten along well when his wife had still been on the Council, he'd never imagined Eola would one day visit their home. He'd spent the entire trip from the Council chambers to the house trying to figure out a reason for the visit but hadn't been able to come up with anything more than a guess. As a result, he'd also been too distracted to carry on much of a conversation with her—something he very much regretted now.

Determined to be a better host, Vincent gestured toward the living room. "Please, come and take a seat. If there's anything you need, anything at all, just let me know."

Entering the room, he quickly made his way over to the windows and pulled open the cloth curtains to allow the afternoon sun to fully illuminate the room. The other walls of the room were lined with bookcases, completely filled with tomes on various spell theory. He'd attempted to read a few of them over the years, but they never failed to put him to sleep each time he tried. In the center of the room, a large sofa faced two chairs, separated by a wooden table grown directly out of the floor.

Eola took a seat in one of the chairs, a contented sigh of relief escaping her as she settled down. Taking a spot across from her on the sofa, Vincent opened his mouth before hesitating, unsure of what to even talk about with someone so important. It didn't help that he wasn't a very good conversationalist in the first place.

Seeming to sense his uncertainty, Eola ended up breaking the silence. "I hate to talk about work, but I have to ask, how have you enjoyed your time on the Council since joining?"

That wasn't at all what he'd been expecting, and Vincent wasn't entirely sure how to respond. "Honestly? It's ruined a bit of the magic for me. Before, I'd imagined that the members of the Council were wise beyond their years and unified in their desire to help our people. Now I know that they're just the same as everyone else. Not that I don't appreciate being given the opportunity!" he hurried to finish, feeling his cheeks burn. Gaia's name, what was wrong with him, saying all of that to the woman leading them.

Rather than looking upset, Eola was smiling softly, her head nodding in agreement. "We try our best, but it is no easy task. And no matter how carefully you tend the tree, there are always a few rotten apples."

He didn't have to ask who she was referring to.

"Oh, would you like some of ours?" Lucrecia asked, entering the room and setting a teapot and three cups down on the table before joining him on the sofa and nestling into his side, one of her arms wrapping snuggly around his waist. "We had an exceptionally good harvest this year, some of the most wonderfully crisp apples I've ever had."

"Thank you, I might just take you up on that," Eola said, causing Vincent to cough in order to disguise his laugh at his wife's amusing misunderstanding. "Does that mean you've come up with a new spell to promote plant growth?"

Vincent only half paid attention to their conversation as it continued on, more than happy to simply watch his wife enjoying herself while he served them all tea. He'd never been particularly talented when it came to the magical arts—capable of casting basic spells, but certainly never creating new ones of his own—so it was always nice to see her interacting with someone who was much closer to her level.

"But enough of all this small talk," Lucrecia eventually said, her tone shifting to be more serious. "I'm sure you didn't come simply for gardening tips. What can I do to help you?"

Eola's eyes hardened, her face transforming into the one he was familiar with seeing back in the council chambers. "Very well, I'll cut to the chase then. The tide of this war is turning, Lucrecia. I want you to rejoin the Council."

This was precisely what Vincent had thought might happen when Eola had asked to stop by, and based on his wife's unsurprised reaction, she had seen it coming as well. Even so, she took a slow, steady sip of her tea before finally responding.

"In what role?"

"Your role, of course: Archmage."

"I can't imagine Raena would be terribly pleased with that," Lucrecia said dryly.

"If I'm being perfectly frank, I don't give a chocobo's ass what she thinks. Her actions have only become more erratic since this war began, but, thankfully, most of her support appears to be falling off. Finally."

"What was that about when she claimed to be working on a spell to end the war?" Vincent asked. "Is something like that even possible?"

Lucrecia's eyes widened in surprise. "I can't imagine any single spell that could end a war on its own. It sounds more like an attempt to stall for time than a serious claim."

Eola sighed. "That was my thought as well. Raena may think she's a great Archmage, but all of her discoveries and creations since assuming the role have paled in comparison to your own."

Vincent watched in pride as his wife's cheeks flushed a deep red. Praise from Eola herself was special indeed, and he knew how much it meant to Lucrecia to have her hard work acknowledged by someone she respected so much.

"You're too kind. May I ask for some time to think about it? If I'm being entirely honest, the last five years have been a welcome break from all the stress inherent to the position." She shot a quick glance over at Vincent. "We're even thinking of having a child."

He smiled back at her. They'd had the conversation only a week ago and while Vincent was undoubtedly excited about the prospect of being a father, it was equally nerve-racking.

"Of course, of course. Take all the time you need, I understand it's a large request, especially when you're considering such an important decision for your family." Eola finished the last of her tea before slowly getting to her feet. "Well, I don't want to take any more of your time and I have a mountain of requests waiting on my approval. I wish the two of you the Planet's blessing and I look forward to your response."

The two women shared a brief hug before his wife led her to the entryway, Vincent trailing along behind.

"Are you going to take her up on the offer?" he asked after the door had closed behind their guest.

Lucrecia nodded, as he'd known she would before slipping her hand into his and squeezing it tightly. "I will, in a few days time. This isn't the world I want our child to grow up in, and if I have the power to change that, then I'll do whatever it takes."

We're back in Cetraland with Vincent, and learn a bit more about how the war has been going from their perspective. Despite the seemingly overwhelming advantage of magic, the Humans are putting up a much better fight than anyone expected. This is largely due to a sheer number advantage but is also being helped a lot by Hojo's defensive Materia creations (not so much the offensive ones, as Vincent points out here). Raena remains as awful as ever, but after this amount of time and with how the war has dragged out, her support has started to weaken. This then leads Eola to propose that they consider ways to end the war *other* than through victory, which mirrors what happened in the past and what ultimately led to the Barrier's creation. From there, Lucrecia gets to make an appearance as Eola drops by their house for a visit, and we also learn that she and Vincent are thinking about becoming parents. Before that can happen though, Lucrecia wants to try and get this war to end, leading her back to the Council.

As for what's next, I think it's about time we check in with our other spiky-haired friend.

Next Chapter: Bomb