Chapter 39: Α Test of Wιll
"I'll handle this," Estinien spoke up, cutting Alphinaud off. Echo'a crossed his arms, curious to see what the Dragoon would do. "So. Waiting to die like all the others, are you?"
A flat expression pulled at Echo'a's face. Apparently, he was going to start a fight using words. Honestly, if that worked, Echo'a would be impressed. He'd seen his fair share of people being invigorated by combat that he knew it was an option. Only, as the conversation progressed, it became apparent that Al End didn't seem like the type to benefit from such things.
"Had your brethren made the selfsame choice, my family might still be alive," Estinien said, the words weighty with grief, but not weighed down by it. "Yet lasting peace does not come to those who simply retreat from conflict. No, you must be willing to confront it. To stare into the face of your foe…and see yourself in him." Echo'a blinked. No, Estinien really was just going to talk with Al End. "Only then can you break the cycle of torment and tragedy. This lesson, a dear friend taught me at the risk of his life." Maybe. Watching Estinien pull his lance and rest it across his shoulder threw Echo'a's assumption out the window. "And after everything we've endured, we will not let you stop us." What was Estinien-
Echo'a jumped, his hand immediately going to his book as Al End not only roared, but started to change. Dynamis overtook the dragon quickly and condensed into the form of a bird. Confusion stilled his hand where it rested on the book's spine. Barely a second later, that bird expelled a storm of dynamis. It expanded rapidly, engulfing Estinien and only Estinien, swirling around him like a cyclone.
"Estinien!" Alphinaud cried out. Instinct found Echo'a with his hand around Alphinaud's upper arm as Estinien ordered, "Stay back."
Alphinaud - blessedly - heeded Estinien's words.
"We tire of war," Al End's voice rang out. "We tire of turmoil. Dignity tarnished, crimson stained… Our misery, our shame… Too much to bear. Release us, from war, from life."
Echo'a thought he heard Estinien's voice but the shearing wind from the dynamis muddled the words. Then, without warning, the dynamis condensed, disappearing as if sucked into a vacuum and snuffed out, the surrounding air rushing in after to fill the void the dynamis left behind.
Estinien was gone.
"No," Alisaie choked out. "Not Estinien too."
A gust of wind rushed through the group, dragging at them as it headed north. The haze that clung to the isle dissipated in its wake.
G'raha's voice trailed after it, awe in his words. "There's a wind."
"He's opened the way for us," Alphinaud explained, words choked with tears. Echo'a looked to him, finding tear filled eyes meeting his gaze. "Sacrificed himself to remake this place, like Thancred did."
Echo'a pulled Alphinaud into a tight hug. His ears fell at Alphinaud's desperate grip, the other quaking in his arms as the young elezen fought to not start sobbing into Echo'a's chest. It was not something Echo'a was going to be able to forget.
"Oh, Alphinaud," Alisaie softly muttered behind him.
The pressure on his chest increased as he tucked his face into Alphinaud's hair. It was clear Estinien's disappearance was hard on Alphinaud but Echo'a was struggling to understand why. It wasn't like they couldn't get them back. Surely Alphinaud knew that. Surely they all knew that. Even Meteion had said the place could be manipulated to one's will if strong enough or some such. It wasn't like they were dead.
Right?
Alphinaud pulled away, rubbing at his face to clear it of tears, but when Alphinaud raised his head, there were still tears in his eyes. "Come," he said, his voice steadier now, "let us follow the wind. It will not lead us astray. He would not."