Chapter 20: Hope's Confluence
"Not here either," the Exarch called out. "We must keep climbing."
At the rate they were going, he wouldn't be surprised if they found Elidibus in the same place he had gone up against Xande and everything else that had gone with it. Gods he had forgotten just how many stairs the blasted tower had. If they weren't absolutely winded by the time they reached the top, he'd be impressed.
Echoes of running those very stairs, the fights fought and won along the way, brief glimpses of memories he hadn't touched in far too long drifted through his awareness with every pounding step. A part of him felt ashamed that the faintest ones were of G'raha and the others of NOAH. Well, excluding the moment the doors closed with G'raha still inside.
The top of the cliff in Kholusia flickered forward and a line spoken upon waking that he hadn't understood suddenly made perfect sense. His heart ached at the realization. The Exarch had given himself away with that line and Echo'a hadn't even realized it; it didn't matter that he still came to the same conclusion regardless. For a breath he couldn't fathom how he had forgotten such heavy words. Then his mind was filled with the doors closing and G'raha glancing back with a smile on his face and he knew his answer. After everything, the words had meant so little compared to the finality of that moment.
This time would be different, though; he would make it different. This time G'raha had a place in the present.
A cry of pain rent the air, quickly followed by the sound of the Exarch's staff and body hitting the floor. His boots scraped against the floor as he changed directions, watching as the Exarch rolled over and up into a sitting position as he closed the too large gap, sounds of pain escaping the downed man.
Underneath it all was the sound of crackling crystal.
He slid to a stop on a knee at the Exarch's side, a hand immediately going to the Exarch's back to both brace and comfort. He winced. Both of the Exarch's legs were now crystal all the way through his ankles and most of his feet. Without a thought, he started the only healing spell he had as Summoner, if for nothing more than to alleviate the pain - if that were even possible. Gods he hoped it was possible. It gained him the Exarch's gaze but he didn't meet it, too caught up sustaining the spell and debating if he had enough time to swap to his White Mage gear and back before they had to fight again.
As if summoned by his thoughts, one of the summoning circles appeared between them and the stairs they had just climbed. The Exarch touched his wrist, but his gaze was already locked onto the summoning circle, anger and fear lending to the frustration that blossomed in his chest as his casting ended. One would be fine as White Mage. Would be a drawn out fight but it would be fine-
Three more circles appeared.
Damn it all. He stood up and stepped in front of the Exarch, hand already moving to his book. He couldn't risk swapping jobs now. Dragoon could do the necessary damage and Gunbreaker would make the Exarch less of a target but there was no way of sustaining his health. White Mage would drag the fight out too long. Summoner was his only option in this.
But to be without healing magics…
Another circle appeared.
"'Twas but a matter of time," the Exarch muttered behind him. "I cannot keep up with you," the Exarch said, his words sure and steady. Echo'a turned enough to meet the Exarch's gaze, gritting his teeth against the inevitable. "Nor will it avail us to make a stand here. You must go on without me. Find Elidibus, and stop him."
Echo'a took a step towards the Exarch, ears flattening in his displeasure at the idea. "I am not leaving you here to deal with this mess alone. Should Elidibus pull on the Crystal Tower any more-" He cut himself off, refusing to voice that fear in its entirety.
The Exarch smiled at him. "Worry not, my friend. Though I am no warrior, I have learned to hold my own over the years."
"That doesn't change the fact that you are more crystal than man now," he countered sharply. He closed the distance between them when the Exarch moved to stand. He didn't stop him; far from it. He wrapped an arm across the Exarch's back and hooked his other hand under the Exarch's arm, assisting the Exarch back up onto his own two feet. "I have every right to be worried about you overdoing it. The lot of you certainly fretted about me when I was edging the line between mortal and sin eater." The Exarch seemed steady enough on his own but still his touch lingered. The Exarch's gaze was kind, amused even. He glared at the man, though he knew it fell flat. The Exarch's expression only softened more. "I know you can hold your own. Even back before you locked yourself in this damned tower, you weren't one I had to keep an eye on."
The Exarch laughed at that. "When first we explored this tower, you and your fellow adventurers formed the van, while I was left to follow in your wake. Suffice it to say, I was not best pleased with the arrangement. How I had wished that I could join you yet you make it sound as if I had."
"But you did."
"Had I truly? For in my eyes I had not." The Exarch straightened, stepping out of his touch. "Now, though, it's different. Now I have joined you, fought alongside you, here where it all began." There was a breath, a pause that he wanted to interrupt but no words would get out of his throat. "I was right to trust in you and the power of your legacy─of your name. To let them guide my every deed."
"For Elidibus is my name. And my mission. Guiding my every deed."
He had to look away, swallowing against the tears that wanted to be free and against every desire to just drag the Crystal Exarch along, consequences be damned. "Did you never consider other paths?" he asked instead, the words far too taut to not be noticed.
The Exarch nodded. "I did─but I chose not to walk them, thank the gods. Why ever would you ask me such a thing?"
He shook his head almost dismissively. "Elidibus had spoken in similar terms."
"How curious," the Exarch said, his expression becoming thoughtful. "To answer your question, then, I made my choice for reasons which seemed obvious to me, but may not to any other. There were the expectations I placed upon myself before beginning my slumber. And the expectations of those who roused me." The Exarch nodded his head in acknowledgement as he said, "Of course, I had the choice to turn my back on the lot of it. But in the end, it was no choice at all."
Something dawned on the Exarch. Whatever it was, it had the Exarch looking towards the ceiling, towards the top of the tower where Elidibus surely waited. For a moment, the man closed his eyes. "I cherish the time I spent with you and the others. What I wouldn't give to return to those halcyon days…Chasing ancient secrets, overcoming trial after trial with the aid of like-minded comrades…And what remarkable comrades they were. In such company, I felt as if I were a character in the epic tales that had stirred my heart as a boy. As if my dream had come true…"
The Exarch's head returned to a neutral position. Though their gazes met, the Exarch did not maintain eye contact, looking almost bashful as he went on to say, "It hadn't, of course, for I was no hero. Neither then nor after. Though the world to which I awakened, and the First were beset with myriad problems, I rarely knew how best to play my part." That bashfulness fell away as the Exarch's gaze came back up and held his. "There was, however, one thing of which I was certain: that I could not bear to let those dear to me meet a tragic end."
He managed one single step in the Exarch's direction when numerous more summoning circles appeared only for them all to activate with a burst of aether.
The Exarch moved past him. "I'm afraid our time is up. Go." The Exarch placed himself as sentry between the summons and Echo'a as if he wasn't shrouded in crystal. The Exarch looked back at him, a tired echo of a rather familiar cocky smile pulling at the man's lips. The beams of aether were quickly being replaced by the phantoms of heroes. "Rest assured you haven't seen the last of me. I wouldn't dream of playing my trump card save in your presence."
Screw not having time. He closed the distance between them in a few bounds, reached out and tugged the Exarch's forehead to his own. "Twelve better find you alive when we meet again or so help me I will be fighting the very gods after this."
The laugh the Exarch let out sounded as thick with tears as his throat felt. His hand lingered as he pulled back but he was out of time. The first of the phantoms were moving. With one last pained look at the Exarch, he bolted for the stairs.
The Exarch's voice, strong and sure, chased after him as the man barked, "Break!"
He only dared to glance back when he came to the bend in the path and held onto the image of the Exarch standing tall before countless magic bound phantoms all the way up the stairs.
"No," Elidibus - or was it Warrior of Light now? - bit out between panted breaths. "I cannot fail….I will not."
Gods, could any of them just stay down for once? Why did they keep dragging the inevitable out?
A voice that reminded him a bit too much of Emet-Selch pointed out that was the same thought the Ascians had for him and any number of others that stood against them.
He vehemently ignored that voice.
Elidibus's glare landed on him again. "Fool. You have achieved nothing. I am immortal," Elidibus shoved the point of his sword into the ground and used it to stand up out of the kneeling position, "and I will never surrender!"
Elidibus took a step forward and for a startling moment, he thought the Ascian had cast something as a ring of aether encircled the man. That thought was quickly put to rest as Elidibus gasped, surprise clear on the changed face.
"Elidibus." His heart was in his throat immediately and he turned to find the Exarch had made it. Had the man not been mid cast, Echo'a would have ran to him. "So fixated were you on my memories of the future, you failed to heed the lessons of the past. Your obsession blinded you to the true nature of this tower-" the Exarch raised his staff above his head and the tallest peak of crystal above them flashed with aether- "this beacon of hope for mankind."
The spell containing Elidibus intensified and the burst of wind from the rushing aether drew his attention as sure as any spectacle would. Elidibus was lifted off the ground by the force of it and left to hover as the Exarch worked the spell to fruition.
"Created to serve as a reservoir for the limitless energy of the heavens. To harness and bind the boundless─not unlike white auracite. Your ill-begotten power, obtained by exploiting that which is best in us...I shall have it, your soul and all!"
Wrapping his other hand around the staff, the Exarch brought the point down to the tower floor with a ringing sound. Magic burst from the point of contact and the entirety of the tower came to life with light, with aether. How he was managing to see through its brilliance, he wasn't sure, but he was glad for it as he caught sight of Elidibus moving. He made to get closer to the Exarch if for nothing more than an easier chance of protecting him from the blow he was sure would follow. In the end, the choice lent his awareness to fall to the Exarch in time to see the burst of growth from the crystal he wouldn't have been able to hear.
The Exarch fell to a knee, surely in pain and still somehow maintaining the spell, but that control would waver without help. He clasped the staff just beneath the ornate top, in the place the Exarch normally grasped it, and kept the staff steady. The Exarch's gaze snapped up to him, surprised or fearful, he couldn't tell, but it was quickly replaced with relief and confidence. There were so many things he wanted to say but the spell wouldn't allow it. As one, they raised the staff and sent the last of the spell into motion.
The spell completed, the brilliance faded, leaving him momentarily blinded. It was fine. He didn't need to see. Using the staff as a guide, he knelt at the Exarch's side and placed a hand on the man's back. Even in his half blind state, he could see now that the Exarch truly was more crystal than man as now even his clothes were heavily changed. All that seemed left was the Exarch's head and portions of his torso. The Exarch was panting and he couldn't help but worry about the crystal's impact on the Exarch's lungs.
"Echo'a," the Exarch said. He looked to the Exarch's face but found the man's gaze was where Elidibus had been. He followed that gaze to where the remnants of the spell was slowly dissipating, leaving the illusion of smoke or fog. At the heart of it knelt a robed figure with a red mask. He sucked in a breath. He felt more than saw the Exarch's gaze fall onto him in turn. "Go. We both know you will regret it if you do not." When he finally did manage to turn his gaze onto the Exarch, he received a soft smile. "I will still be here whole and alive when you are done." A shallow breath and then, "I promise."
He dragged his hand up to the back of the Exarch's head and pressed his forehead to the Exarch's temple. "You better," he bit out, hating how it sounded too much like a plea. Rocking back, he was up on his feet and crossing to what remained of Elidibus before he could change his mind.
He was so small. After everything that had happened, Elidibus seemed so small now, knelt in that white robe of his. He took a knee just out of reaching distance and quickly dug into his bag, dropping the fourteen crystals he had been coaxed to collect before Elidibus's knees.
The crystals got Elidibus's attention, or at least the sound of them. It was enough, though, to coax words from the shrouded figure. "This…" Elidibus reached out and picked up two, one in each hand, and brought them closer. Echo'a was heavily reminded of a child and it only made his chest tighten. "Yes... I would become Him. I would save everyone. This I believed. Yet still they cried out, in rage and despair…" Elidibus's gaze - or at least his face - came up to look at him before it slowly drifted higher until it focused on some point near the highest crystal peak. "Divided─over the fate of the star. A rare occurrence, always fleeting. But not this time. Not this time…" That gaze fell once more back to the crystals between them. "Reconciliation. Elidibus. I was needed. I withdrew myself from Zodiark. For them…My people." Slowly those hands closed around the two crystals he held, bringing them ever so closer. "My brothers." The only reason he even saw the tear was from the glint of light reflecting off of it as it slipped from Elidibus's mask and drifted skyward. "...My friends." Elidibus brought his fists to his face, curling in on himself. "Stay strong. Keep the faith. At duty's end, we will meet again. We will. We will."
His hand came up at the repeated words - words that broke when Elidibus spoke them - and he halted its progress, stomping on the desire to reach out and comfort. After everything - everything - Elidibus and the others had done, he couldn't.
Oh, but how he wanted to. His heart ached to comfort the broken soul in front of him and that ache turned into a tearing when he refrained from doing so.
Elidibus lowered his fists and Echo'a pulled his attention away from his own thoughts. "The rains have ceased, and we have been graced with another beautiful day." Elidibus tipped his head back as if he was looking to the sky; and maybe he was. "But you are not here to see it."
He swallowed thickly at the tears in his throat as what had remained of Elidibus turned to aether. He stood as if he could follow its ascension, watching the collection of aether carry itself all the way to the highest peak and disappear into the crystal with a pulse of light.
Something clinked against the floor where Elidibus had been kneeling. Certain all of the crystals had vanished with Elidibus's soul, he turned and found the very thing he had chased after Elidibus for. The spirit vessel was undamaged and the red stones still shined strongly with the Exarch's memories. As relieved as he was to see it, it seemed out of place after everything that had happened.
There was a clattering behind him and his gaze snapped around at the all too familiar sound to find the Exarch had fallen over. He ran over, grateful the Exarch wasn't flat out on the floor even as worry choked him. Hitting a knee, he transferred the spirit vessel to his other hand and took hold of the Exarch's shoulder.
Breathing heavily - or struggling to breathe at all with how much of the crystal now covered the front of his chest - the Exarch looked up at him and offered with an embarrassed sort of smile, "I concede, I may have overexerted myself."
He went to reply but the tears that had been in his throat threw themselves into his eyes and he fought to keep them from falling. The Exarch voice, while soft, had an air of comfort in it as if words alone could console him. "Steady now, and listen," the Exarch said, rolling over so that he was leaning back on his hands. Echo'a pulled his hand away and curled his fist against his abdomen for lack of a better place to put it. "I told you before that I had a plan, and that when all was said and done, I would ask a favor of you."
The Exarch's gaze fell away, eventually settling on some point ahead of himself. "We have averted the Eighth Umbral Calamity. Found a way for everyone to return to the Source, and...last but not least, we have secured the future of all the people of Norvrandt. We have won, my friend." The Exarch brought his gaze back to Echo'a but didn't meet his gaze. "So I hope you'll forgive me this moment of selfishness. And...while I wouldn't want you to feel obliged…" It was clear why the Exarch had avoided his gaze when the Exarch's resolved expression broke when he did finally look up. The confidence the Exarch had clearly mustered had mostly abandoned the man and the next words held that struggle as much as they held his plea. "Promise me you'll take me on your next adventure. A journey. Together. That's all I ask."
A tear streaked down Echo'a's face and he rubbed at it with the back of his arm. The laugh that escaped him was breathy, nearly humorless, and he forced words out around the lump in his throat "Like this didn't count? You idiot." He cupped the side of the Exarch's head and gingerly pressed their foreheads together as he tried to offer a big smile. Several tears streaked down his face for his efforts. "Of course I will. Gladly."
The Exarch leaned into the contact with a chuckle full of relief yet as breathy as the words that followed. "If I were to tell you that this isn't the end─that we will meet again─would you believe me?"
Those last words were so hopeful - so careful - that he laughed again. Thankfully, this time it was a warmer sound, a fond sound, as he finally loosened his hold on the spirit vessel he had been clenching. "Of course."
He withdrew out of the Exarch's space and showed the spirit vessel to the Exarch, feeling a bit foolish at the reminder of the proposed use for it. The Exarch adjusted his weight and covered the spirit vessel with his hand. "Thank you."
Had he not been watching the Exarch's face, he would have missed the look of realization that crossed it before the Exarch withdrew his hand without finishing the transfer. Echo'a lowered the vessel as the Exarch collected himself before reaching up. He knew the Exarch was trying to hide the effort it took to reach up for his hood but, as before and ever since the Exarch had started wearing his hood down around Echo'a, the Exarch was officially horrible at hiding anything anymore. Quickly placing the spirit vessel to one side, Echo'a leaned over and gained a gasp from the Exarch as he slipped his hands against the Exarch's palms and took hold of the hood. With care - and the Exarch's startled gaze on his face - he pulled the hood into place on the Exarch's head, even going as far as to fix the Exarch's hair underneath before he withdrew with a weak smile. Tears pooled into the Exarch's eyes and the Exarch blinked quickly a few times to keep them from falling, a strangled little laugh escaping him as he turned for his staff.
Echo'a moved with him, though the Exarch never put any of his weight on Echo'a's outstretched hands. With a solemn nod, the Exarch crossed to the center of the floor, speaking as he went. "My friend. With you, my mind and memories shall travel to the ends of the world and beyond. But in this place shall my body stand immovable." With staff in hand, the Exarch stood tall and proud facing the entrance. Facing him. "May it serve as an undying promise, not only to those who looked to me for leadership, but to any soul who has known despair, that hope is everlasting."
His gaze fell and for a breath he didn't move. With a little shake of his head, he scooped the spirit vessel back up and crossed to stand less than an arm's length before the Exarch one final time. Once again he held the spirit vessel before the Exarch and waited. The Exarch's gaze fell to the vessel for the few seconds it took for the transfer to be successful. When the Exarch looked back up, he smiled at Echo'a. Echo'a matched it even as the Exarch was quickly changed to crystal from foot to head. Clothing, skin, even staff were completely transformed and even after the soft burst of aether at its completion, he stood there in a mix of horror and grief.
The spirit vessel was warm in his hand but he barely noticed as he stepped closer. His free hand shook as he gingerly placed it against the Exarch's chest. Cold, hard crystal pressed back and he recoiled back that step he had taken. He wasn't sure what he had expected doing that but he hadn't expected the finality of it all when he had. He pressed the vessel to his chest and bowed his head, willing the panic and the fear and the grief to not overwhelm him. He trusted the Exarch's words - wanted to believe that they would indeed see each other again - but they didn't know what would happen. There was a chance the transfer would fail and he hated it, hated that there was even any doubt in his chest about any of it.
Someone shouted his name - vaguely he thought it sounded like Alisaie - as the echoes of several pairs of feet running started to reach him. A lot of the footfall stopped but at least one pair of boots pounded across the floor towards him. Steady enough now that he wasn't about to start weeping, he raised his head but managed only a glance back before reflex had him raising his left arm in time for Alisaie to collide with his side. Her arms were a vice around his ribs and he welcomed the hold, pinning her in place with his arm as his hand held the back of her head. A second pair of boots, softer this time but no less fervent, approached him on the right and he lifted his arm in time for Alphinaud to hug him from the other side. With the spirit vessel still in his hand, the best he could do was hug Alphinaud's head with his arm. He pressed the side of his hand against his lips, tipping his head back as if it would help keep the tears from falling free. What he had managed to gain in composure had shattered at the twins' appearance and it was all he could do to even breathe. Even now he was holding his breath between inhales as if it would be enough to quell the tears.
"It's ok, Echo'a," Alisaie said into his chest. He choked on a sob. "You can cry. We've got you." He curled into both of them, sobs wracking through his body too hard for him to stay upright. The two of them never wavered, though. Alisaie's voice was thick with tears as she repeated, "We've got you."