Chapter Text
The Absorption Gate was one of Auldrant’s ten planetary fon slots, and comprised one half of the Planet Storm. The mysterious passage ring was hidden within the frozen, icy reaches of the northernmost point of Auldrant—a place impossible to reach through conventional means. The fierce arctic winds howled in an eternal blizzard, battering the Albiore as it descended toward their destination.
“Brace yourselves!” Noelle shouted over blaring sirens as she attempted to land.
The Albiore hit the ground at an angle and skidded across the ice. Its cabin filled with panicked shouts as the airship spun out of control, but it soon lost momentum and came to a haphazard stop.
“Hah… E-everyone okay?” Noelle asked as she craned her neck, trying to gauge the status of her passengers.
Natalia was white as a sheet, gripping the armrests of her seat so tightly it was a miracle she hadn’t ripped them off. This was exactly why she hated flying!
“I-I’m alright,” Tear answered first as she unbuckled her seatbelt, shakily moving to stand.
“As am I,” Jade said next, also taking a moment to scan the others for any sign of injury. “That was quite the bumpy landing.”
“I’ve never experienced such harsh weather before, I’m truly sorry,” Noelle began, but Guy shook his head.
“Don’t be, you got us here in one piece.”
“Ion, are you okay?” Anise asked as she checked on him, and the boy nodded slowly.
“I will be, once everything stops spinning…”
“Fon Master, you should stay here with Noelle while Luke takes care of the passage ring,” Guy suggested, and Ion nodded, remaining in his seat. “Luke, what are- Luke?”
There was a paleness to Luke he hadn’t seen before, and his face was pinched in what appeared to be pain.
“Did you get hurt?”
Luke slowly shook his head, wincing a little. “I’m okay, just… There’s… so many fonons here… It’s suffocating…”
What he wouldn’t give for his fon slot seal right now; every breath felt like fonons were trying to claw their way inside of him. Everywhere he looked, colorful flecks created a storm in the air on top of the actual blizzard—he could barely see anything no matter how hard he strained to look.
Natalia flexed her aching digits, then took hold of her husband's hand.
“Luke,” she forced her voice to be soft and steady, just as she had so long ago in the woods around Grand Chokmah. “Luke, listen to me. Try to find your focus, alright? We'll be out of here soon, and then we can go home together.” She gently squeezed his fingers.
Luke nodded slowly, closing his eyes before taking in several deep breaths. While the techniques he learned from Tear did help to lessen the overwhelming sensation of fonons, he had no hope of completely shutting them out. Dammit… He would have to endure for the others’ sake.
“Luke?”
Anise’s worried voice made him wince, and after another moment he forced himself to stand.
“Let's get moving.”
“You look sick…” she observed, but he waved her off.
“At least hold onto me for support,” Guy offered his arm, and Luke readily took it.
“Thanks,” he breathed a sigh of relief, already feeling steadier.
One by one, they disembarked from the Albiore. Mt. Roneal was a brisk springtime stroll compared to the biting cold and winds now fighting them with every step. Thankfully, despite the Albiore drifting from its initial landing spot, the entrance to the Absorption Gate was within sight—a rocky cave jutting out of the ice. Moving as quickly as they could through the blizzard, it still took the six of them three times longer than it normally would have to cover the short distance.
The mouth of the cave was a welcome shelter from the storm, granting them a few moments to catch their freezing breath and check that none of their gear had been dropped before continuing on. As they progressed deeper, the temperature slowly began to increase.
“S-so much nicer…” Anise sighed, exhaling onto her mittens to try to warm her numb fingers.
Tear glanced around their surroundings and frowned. Where exactly was the passage ring they needed to operate? The way forward split into pathways heading in opposite directions, and she wasn't sure just which direction they needed to go.
“Luke,” Tear began, turning to face him, “do you know which way?”
Luke shook his head, still clinging to Guy. “No I don’t… but maybe I could—” he sucked in a sharp breath as an invasive voice permeated his mind.
‘The path lies below. Go now.’
“I didn’t ask for your help!” Luke suddenly snapped. The others stared at him as a thick silence fell over them. Luke stared back, wondering why they couldn’t understand his reaction, before remembering only he could hear Lorelei’s voice. “S-sorry, that wasn’t directed at any of you…” He sheepishly looked away, only to pause when he suddenly recognized what they were standing on. “A fonic elevator…?”
“Oh great,” Guy muttered sarcastically. “You okay, Luke?”
“Lorelei said… the path lies below.” Luke shook his head slowly as if to clear the fog Lorelei left in its wake. “We would have figured that out eventually…”
“‘Eventually’ assumes a luxury of time we don’t have,” Jade reminded Luke as he moved onto the platform and motioned for the others to join him.
Seconds after activating the elevator, they stood amidst a vast expanse of long, twisting pathways that curved in every direction like a maze. Strange lights and metallic panels lined the walls that were too far away to reach, and no ceiling or floor could be seen above or below the pathways.
Anise shivered a little as they stepped off the elevator platform and onto one of the pathways, although it had nothing to do with any lingering chill. The whole area held a purple tinge to it that reminded her of the Qliphoth.
“Where are we now…?”
“Further in by the looks of it,” Guy said as he glanced around, taking in all the sights. “We came down pretty far.”
“How much further does this go then?” Anise peered over the edge of the path they stood on. “It looks like it stretches forever!”
Tear paused for a moment, recalling the stories her grandfather had told her. “Well, this is the end of the Planet Storm, so it goes at least to the bottom of the Outer Lands.”
“So for miles,” Anise sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. “And after all that hiking we did up and down Mt. Roneal!”
—
They began their trek through the labyrinth of pathways, though the farther they walked, the more complex their journey grew. More often than not, they would reach a dead end and have no other choice than to backtrack and try a new route. This time they chose a long singular path that led to a wide platform, on it a small handful of active machines. Guy’s eyes lit up as soon as he recognized what he was looking at, and a childish excitement took over him.
“Working Dawn tech!” He pointed at the mechanical forms still effortlessly operating over 2,000 years later.
“My!” Natalia exclaimed as they drew closer to the ancient machines.
“What are these things anyway?” Anise asked.
“Maybe some sort of defense?” Tear suggested. “Or possibly something to do with maintaining the passage ring?”
Guy's excitement grew to near unbearable levels as he got a good and clear look at the machine's design. So smooth and sleek, yet flexible as it moved about the wide platform. The machine wandered in what appeared to be a pre-programmed loop. He could hardly contain himself, shaking with the desire to pop its plating off and study its inner workings. As he took a step closer, the benign blue light the machine emanated turned an angry red.
“Guy!” Luke cried out in exasperation as he drew his sword.
“S-sorry!” Guy stammered, an embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks even as he backed away. Despite the threat it now posed, he couldn't quite bring himself to draw his blade.
“You just had to get close to them!” Anise snapped as Tokunaga grew in size.
“It's Dawn Tech! Working Dawn Tech! There's so much we could learn from it! It may be the only working piece of its kind!”
The machine let out a roar before charging at them. Guy dodged back just in time to avoid the hit.
“Well, it's working quite hard to kill you,” Jade quipped as he summoned his spear. “It's an obstacle between us and the passage ring.”
“Y-yeah, I know!” Guy sputtered, gathering himself momentarily before finally drawing his weapon. It hurt, deep down in his soul, to raise his blade against such a technological marvel. His hand shook slightly, and he wondered if his resolve was slipping when he felt the ground start to tremble again.
“Be careful, another quake is coming!” Tear warned as Jade impaled one of the other now hostile machines, taking it down in a broken heap.
The trembling grew, knocking Tokunaga off-balance and throwing Anise to the ground. She cried out as she hit the platform, the shaking jostling her around as if she were a doll herself. Tear stumbled and was about to fall when Luke caught her in his arms. He tried to help steady her the best he could, but he could barely keep himself upright at this point.
“H-Hang on!”
Blocking a strike from one of the machines as they continued to attack despite the tremors, Guy turned his head to look back at the group. Natalia had remained toward the back of the group, where an archer was best positioned; even with Tear’s healing, however, the injuries she’d received on Mt. Roneal left her trying to conserve her remaining strength for what lay ahead. Now she was trying to keep her balance, stumbling dangerously close to the edge of the platform.
His body worked as if possessed. Stabbing into one of the bot's weak points, he pulled his sword free and pivoted—not even aware of the beautiful piece of tech crumbling into a sparking pile of gears and springs behind him. He was at Natalia’s side in a heartbeat, pulling her into his arms and away from the edge.
”G-Guy?”
“I've got you!”
Natalia stared at him with wide eyes, heat rising to her cheeks as his strong arms wrapped around her. Was this for real…? Guy was… Guy was touching her…!
She didn't have time to linger on the revelation as the intensity of the tremors increased, knocking those closest to the edges of the platform into the chasm below.
—
The shaking finally ceased, but Anise’s whole skeleton still ratted. She clung tightly to her purchase on the platform, too afraid to open her eyes and see what had become of the battlefield. The roar of the land shaking around them had stopped, but Anise strained to hear any sound from her companions. There was nothing.
After what felt like hours, she heard a man’s stifled grunt and the sound of a long-handled weapon scraping against the floor. Wide-heeled boots slowly found steady purchase as their owner hauled themselves to their feet.
“Anise? Can you hear me?”
“C-Colonel!” Anise finally dared to peek, a touch of relief washing over her to see him still intact.
She glanced around further, looking to see if the others were perhaps also unconscious and beginning to stir. Instead, only the otherwise empty platform and miles of pathways greeted her. Anise’s breath caught, and she found herself rising to race to the platform’s edge and look down – but, no! What if the shaking began again? She’d fall too!
“W-Where…?”
“It looks like they've fallen over the edge.”
“We have to save them!”
“I agree that we should attempt to rejoin our group and tend to anyone who's been wounded by the fall,” Jade began, brushing some dust and metal filings from the lapels of his jacket. “But it'll do us no good to jump after them—we'll have to find our way down on foot.”
Anise took a breath, trying to clear away the negative thoughts that had begun to flood her mind. Who knew what shape everyone was in? They'd all only survived the fall in Akzeriuth because of Tear's hymn, but Tear didn't have time for that here. Even if she did, Guy and Natalia probably hadn't been near enough to be within the protective range!
“Y-yeah,” she said, shaking her head and gathering Tokunaga back into her arms, “Alright. C'mon, Colonel, let's get going! We can't leave Tear and Luke alone for too long—Natalia'll get way too jealous.”
Jade grinned, an amused chuckle filling the air as his spear dissipated. “Right you are, right you are. Come, it looks like there's a pathway leading down over here.”
—
Guy let out a low groan.
He was lying on his back, pinned to the hard surface of a much lower pathway by something warm and heavy. He slowly opened his eyes, silently praying to the Sentients that he hadn't been seriously injured in the fall, and was met by a tousled mass of golden waves. It took him a moment to register that he was staring at the crown of Natalia's head, and that her body was draped over his. He must have broken her fall during the earthquake.
He rested his head back down against the pathway and swallowed hard.
Why wasn't he trying to get away from her? Why was touching her somehow bearable? Nightmarish memories that would grip and torment him in the past were nowhere to be found now. His heart was still racing, but… was it from anxiety, or something else? Was his usual fear reaction just delayed? He remained perfectly still, afraid to accidentally trigger anything.
“Natalia…?” he tried weakly.
The queen's eyes flickered open, registering her surroundings; the sound of a pounding heartbeat and shallow, panting breath, the warmth of someone's chest beneath her cheek and their arms around her body. Her exhaustion bid her to stay put, where it was safe and comfortable, but the scent of leather and faded bergamot cologne startled her upright.
“Guy…!” she gasped, scrambling to put as much distance between them as possible. Her wide eyes apologetically scanned him for any sign of panic. “A-are you… alright…?”
“I… think so…?” His voice sounded tight and somewhat forced, and he made no indication of moving.
“Are you hurt? Can you feel everything?” Natalia asked, watching as Guy flexed all of his fingers and tested his toes.
“Still in working order,” he said, finally sitting up. “Though, my back is going to be pretty bruised… How far did we fall?”
“Well, not nearly as far as we've fallen before…” she said, turning her gaze upwards. “But I can't see or hear any of the others. It's a wonder either one of us is alive and mobile.”
“More like a miracle,” Guy said, and Natalia closed her eyes as she drew herself to her feet.
“If Lorelei has decided to start dispensing miracles, I'd like to hear its reasoning.”
Guy forced a weak chuckle, though it came out as a pained wheeze. Natalia's concern for his welfare returned as Guy then drew in a sharp breath as he minded his posture. “Mm… yeah, my back hurts…”
“Hold still,” she instructed as she drew just a little closer, though still maintaining a fair distance. Calling on seventh fonons, she cast her healing arte, and the horrible ache lessened, making it easier for him to breathe. “There, that should help.”
“Thank you,” he let out a sigh of relief, but Natalia shook her head.
“No, I should be thanking you. You… you protected me earlier, despite your condition. Thank you, Guy.”
A bit of heat rushed to his cheeks and he turned his gaze away. “I- I didn't even realize what I was doing at the time.”
“Even so, I owe you my thanks.”
He scrubbed a hand through his hair and rolled his shoulders.
“Right, then. We won't get very far just standing around. Think you can walk a little while longer? We should try to find our way to the Sephiroth, since that's where the others are probably headed as well.”
“Yes, I'll be alright. Though if we run into any monsters…”
“Don't worry. I won't let them reach you.”
That earned him a smile, and he felt his heart rate speed up a little in return. The pink tint to his cheeks darkened ever so slightly, and he cleared his throat, trying to recompose himself.
He scanned their immediate surroundings – they'd been fortunate to land where they had, but it didn’t leave them with many options as to how to proceed. Their only choices as to where to go were to either go down their singular pathway, or backtrack to higher ground.
“I’ll take point,” Guy said as they pushed ahead.
—
“Ow…”
Luke let out a tired groan, his body aching from the rough landing. He sounded off a silent thanks to the Sentients above that Tear had managed to sing her hymn in time. He didn't want to imagine what kind of shape they'd be in if her fonic barrier hadn't absorbed the majority of shock. Glancing upwards, he gathered that they had fallen for a while. What seemed like miles of pathways stretched high above their heads, and now matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see any of the others.
Movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention, and he looked back to see Tear stirring.
“Tear, are you okay?” Luke offered her a hand, which she gratefully accepted.
“Yes, thank you. What about yourself?”
“I'm fine, thanks to your barrier. I didn't know you could sing that fast. Good job.”
“Thank you…” Tear’s cheeks pinked slightly. “I wasn't sure that I could, but not singing the hymn at all would have had the same effect as not finishing in time, so I had to at least try. How are you feeling? Are the fonons still causing you trouble?”
He nodded with a grimace, still doing his best to tune the excess noise out. It didn't help that the further toward the passage ring they went, the heavier the fonons felt.
“I suppose that means using your sight to locate everyone is out,” she said, and he nodded again, causing her to sigh. “I'm sorry the fonons are so troubling for you…”
“I can't see them but- but I can hear them. Faintly.”
“Oh?”
“Jade and Anise are pretty far, but Guy and Natalia - they're up there, somewhere.” Luke pointed to a group of walkways, and Tear squinted as if trying to catch a glimpse of them.
She thought she could see vague shapes, but the translucent walkways made it difficult to tell what was real and what was an illusion. She couldn't hear any steps or voices, and she wondered if the architecture might distort sound as well.
“Well, don't push yourself too hard. We'll try to make our way to the Sephiroth and meet up with them there.”
“Right, good plan,” Luke agreed, hoping that the others would be able to make their way toward them alright.
—
Anise's feet were starting to hurt as she and Jade continued down a spiraling pathway. She was left wondering just how far they had walked to even make it this far, and just how much farther did they have to go to reach the passage ring? And ugh… the thought of having to walk all the way back to the surface when it was time to leave? Her morale was starting to wither.
“We've been walking forever…” she moaned, her shoulders slumping.
“That we have,” Jade agreed, “but we've made fair progress.”
“If you say so… I won't believe it until I actually see the passage ring.” She shook her head. “What do you think we'll find there anyway?”
“Well, if we're lucky, the others,” Jade began, though he paused to think more seriously on his answer. “It's entirely possible we'll find Van at the passage ring.”
Anise froze.
“Really…?”
Akzeriuth and the attack on Sheridan surfaced in her memory, and she clutched onto Tokunaga tightly.
“It's not an outcome I'm looking forward to, either, with our group as battered as we are. But it's a probability we should prepare ourselves for.”
“Luke said we needed to kill Van… He’s never- Luke's never said anything like that before…”
“Indeed. But Luke's grown enough to know that there are some things–some people–who pose too much of a threat to ignore, and who cannot be reasoned with or contained. In killing Van, thousands, maybe millions, more lives will be spared.”
“I- I know that! But…”
“It's hard to reconcile, isn't it?” he asked, and she nodded silently, worry etched deep into her young face. “Kill or be killed on such a grand scale… Hm, Ironic.”
“What?”
“Luke and I had a somewhat similar talk back in Sheridan about this very topic.”
“Really?”
“Indeed. We'd been attacked by a couple of the God-Generals while in the Meggiora Highlands. Guy in turn attacked Sync in a way that upset Luke, and Luke froze upon having to raise his blade against human opponents. It was difficult for him to reconcile, too, that ending them meant saving others.”
“And he eventually came around to the idea.”
“He did. One could consider it a form of growing up.”
Anise made a slight face. “Being a grown up sounds hard…”
Jade nodded. “It has its challenges. It's not something I can recommend rushing into, if you can, although I believe most of our merry little band has been denied that luxury.”
“Yeah… Luke's the Scion, and Guy and Tear have been soldiers almost their whole lives,” Anise said, stroking her fingers along a line of stitches on Tokunaga's head.
“And let's not discount Natalia's royal upbringing.”
“Right, I'm sure being raised as a princess was actually super hard and stressful.” Her mind wandered, trying to picture a life surrounded by a strict nanny and watchful maids. Sure there was luxury, good food, and fine clothes, but there wasn't much by way of freedom. “I guess you're the only one of us who had a normal upbringing, then.”
Jade bit back a bark of laughter, a smile gracing his face. “I'd hardly call growing up in Keterburg 'normal' when His Majesty was there, but I suppose, relatively speaking.”
Anise giggled, some of her worries lifting as she allowed herself to imagine the kind of mischief Peony dragged Jade into when they were younger. The colonel placed his hand atop her head and lightly ruffled her hair, making sure not to disturb her carefully tied pigtails.
“Perhaps one of these days I'll tell you a few stories about His Majesty. Just as long as you don't repeat them to anyone else, hm?”
Anise beamed a bright smile.
“Don't worry, you can totally trust me! My lips are sealed!”
“Indeed…”
—
“Crescent Strike!”
Guy's strike arte sliced into the Dawn Tech bot twice, rendering it inoperable. The machine collapsed onto the walkway, and he sheathed his blade.
“Dammit, I hate that we have to destroy these things…”
“Maybe, after we deal with the passage ring and the land collapsing, we could come back to these remnants, and you could collect them for study?” Natalia suggested, unsure if that was something Guy even wanted at this point. The offer earned her a slightly funny look before he shook his head.
“No, it's not the same as when it's in one piece, functioning. I don't even have any tools on me anyway.”
“Why not take at least a piece, then?” Natalia stepped up to the wreckage and pulled a couple of particularly shiny gears out from the carcass, holding them up for Guy to see.
Guy smiled slightly at that. Gears were just gears, after all, just a tiny piece that was so much less than the sum of all the bot's parts. But Natalia was just so damn earnest…
“Alright, alright,” he said, gingerly picking up one of the pieces she offered to him. His breath caught, and his hand shook slightly, but he managed to take it from her. “Just one piece. And you're not allowed to laugh when the others get on my case about it.”
Natalia smiled. “I would never. Though, I'd like to know what sparked such a… passionate interest in fontech. I never gave machinery much notice, save for the children’s train in Belkend when I was younger.”
“Aha, well, I've always found fontech and engineering fascinating. How things are built, fit together, move; I want to know it! And so much of our world's technology was lost to time, and we're just barely reclaiming it, like with the hoverdrive for the Albiore. There's just so much out there that we don't know yet, waiting to be discovered. Doesn't that fascinate you?” Guy's eyes sparkled with an energy Natalia had never seen before.
“I admire your passion and curiosity. I'm not sure if I've ever held such fervor for a subject before.”
“C'mon, you're completely dedicated to your Kingdom and the welfare of your people.”
“Yes, but it's not quite the same,” Natalia said as they continued onwards down the pathway. “These automatons were built and programmed to guard the path to the Sephiroth, and they perform that task with gusto. Is that really so different from being raised as the heir to a throne?”
She twiddled the gear Guy hadn't taken in her left hand.
“Ah, you make a fair point. Well, is there anything that you like to do?”
“Hm? Well… I enjoy archery, I've mastered the Lanvaldearan style.”
“That counts, but is there anything else? Drawing perhaps? Or maybe music?”
“Mmm, my tutors often scolded me for doodling on my schoolwork… But father always approved of anything that kept me still for more than five minutes, so he hired a drawing instructor for me as well. It's been a few years since I've had the time to sit down and actually draw something, though.”
“What happened to your drawing instructor?”
“Well, my nanny never really liked the idea of a princess drawing more than watercolors of vases full of flowers. She thought my instructor was encouraging… less than ideal traits in me. And then one day he introduced me to charcoal - I got it smudged all over, and that was the last straw. She spoke to father, and within the month my instructor was gone.”
Guy came to a stop at her words, anger burning in his chest. Did Natalia’s nanny ever let the poor girl do anything?
“I'm sorry,” he began at last, struggling to wrangle his emotions and keep his tone level. “That's awful. I can't believe your nanny would do such a thing, and that Ingobert would even listen to such bad advice. Who would deprive a child of her art lessons?”
Natalia prickled slightly. For his camaraderie, she decided not to remind him that her father had listened to and followed through on much more sinister advice.
“Thank you. I… Well, it's not as though I'm the only person who's suffered for my father listening to bad advice. He hurt you, and Luke, and… Van. We could be here for the next century, listing the people whose lives were impacted or ended by one of his decrees.”
Guy paused, his brows furrowing momentarily. “Van?”
Natalia stilled and a slight jolt of panic raced through her, feeling as if she were a little girl again being scolded for misbehavior.
“I… know it's wrong to feel empathy for that man, given everything he has done… But he is still a person. One who may have turned out differently if not for the Score…”
“Perhaps, but he still acted out on his decisions and took up arms against humanity to fight the Score. He needs to answer for everything he's done.”
“I know. Regardless of what happened to him, he still made his choices. And there are times when I don't feel a shred of empathy for him.”
Perhaps she should stop talking. Thinking about Van like this would only make it harder for both of them to do what was needed to stop him. But he'd been Luke's teacher, Guy's mentor, Tear's beloved older brother…
She glanced at Guy and thought of the way he'd glared at Crymson in Baticul. Yes, it was certainly easier to think of one's enemy as nothing more than a monster.
“It just feels too close to retaliation, to let myself forget that he's more than just his crimes,” she said, turning her attention back to the path. “Not allowing empathy for your opponent… Well, you can hurt them as much as you feel they've hurt you. Even if you're at odds for moral reasons, I'm not sure if that's justice.”
“After everything he’s done—the Tartarus, Akzeriuth, St. Binah and Engeve, the attack on Sheridan—isn’t retaliation justified? And can there even be justice in a world that’s ruled by the Score?”
“Eh?”
“Isn’t retaliation justified here?” he asked again.
“…If you'd asked me a few years ago, I might have said yes,” Natalia said after a long moment. “But my father justified the Battle of Northern Chesedonia as retaliation, and Van's own plans seem to be–at least in part–some kind of retaliation or retribution for what was done to him, and to Hod. I don't want to follow them down that path; but as a queen, well… I have to protect my people.” She shook her head again. “I'm sorry. I don't want to… to make stopping him any more difficult for you than I'm sure it already will be.”
His breath caught momentarily, and he masked it by weakly chuckling.
“You really are wise beyond your years…” he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re right… The mindset of vengeance is pretty easy for me to slip into. It’s just… it’s easier, to think of the bad, of the horrors he inflicted and the suffering he caused, instead of the family friend who taught me swordsmanship.”
“It's understandable.” Natalia nodded. “I don't have nearly as much history with him, but it's painful to think that the man who comforted me in Chesedonia, who defended my desire to stay and help, could be like this.”
She thought back to the days after she'd arrived in Chesedonia; reading quietly to the recovering soldiers and making the rounds to each makeshift hospital. Even though he had to have been busy with his own work, Van had checked in on her several times to keep her spirits up. Once he'd even brought her a bottle of a sweet, carbonated drink unique to the trading city to soothe her dry throat.
“Just promise me you won't let your vengeance consume you like that, Guy,” she continued. “You're my dear friend, and Luke's, too. I don't want to lose you like that.”
“I promise.” Guy smiled at her.
—
Movement out of the corner of Luke’s eye grabbed his attention. He turned, glancing upward to a pathway where Anise and Jade now stood. Immediately, his face lit up, relieved to see that his sister was safe and that both her and Jade were unscathed.
“There you are!” Anise called down, and Tear hurried over to Luke’s side.
“Are you two alright?” she called right back, and Anise balked.
“Shouldn’t we be asking you two that?” she shook her head in disbelief. “You guys fell the farthest!”
“I used a Fonic Hymn to create a barrier to protect us.”
“Smart thinking,” Jade commended her quick action. If Luke had been killed in the fall, then lowering the Outer Lands became impossible. “Luke, how're you feeling?”
“My head still hurts… But I’ll manage.”
“We’ve been taking it slow, so Luke doesn’t become overwhelmed,” Tear added. “Have either of you seen Guy or Natalia?”
“Yes, a bit ago.” Jade nodded. “They were heading down a pathway on the opposite side of the chasm. Too far for us to call out at the time, but they should be able to work their way down toward us.”
“What about you two?” Luke asked, judging the distance between them. There was a good two-story drop with a wide enough gap that made the risk of missing way too high for his comfort. “Please tell me you’re not going to jump that?”
“Boo, you're not going to catch me?” Anise asked, her brown eyes bright with mischief.
“We've discovered a number of pathways with counterweights,” Jade said, paying no mind to the Fon Master Guardian's antics. "If we can find the counterweight for this pathway, we should be able to create a ramp bridging the distance.”
“Aw, Colonel. You didn't even let me see if they'd believe me…”
“Given the amount of stress we’ve all been under as of late, I thought it best not to add to the mental load.”
“Ugh, fair…” Anise pouted slightly, crossing her arms with a huff. “Alright, let’s go find that counterweight! Luke, you and Tear hang tight right there, you’re both the furthest along out of all of us.”
“Okay, be safe,” Luke urged.
“You as well.” Anise signed off with a wave as she and Jade continued down their path.
Tear watched the two of them go for a moment, then breathed out a small sigh. “I'm glad it sounds like Guy and Natalia are alright. I wonder how much time it will take to catch up with them?”
The sooner they were able to meet back up and deal with the issue at hand, the better - but that would, of course, mean dealing with Van. She'd known that this day would have to come sooner or later, but now that they were so close to it, Tear found a small, childish part of her mind praying it could be put off for just a little longer.
A pained grunt from Luke snapped her attention back to him. She was about to ask if he was alright when he waved her off.
“It’s just these damn fonons, they’re everywhere,” he hissed, glaring at light flecks Tear couldn’t see. “I wish I could answer that question for you… Not being able to check feels like torture at times.”
“I can only imagine. I find myself grateful for the break, though.”
“Oh?” Luke asked.
“Yes… If my brother was the one to orchestrate the fall of the Outer Lands by manipulating the passage rings, then it’s very likely we’ll find him here. The thought of having to face him is…” Her voice grew tight, as memories from childhood rose to the surface.
“Oh…” Understanding set in, and his face grew serious. “Tear, you don’t have to—“
“But I do,” she interrupted curtly. “He’s my brother, my family. I’m responsible for him, and it’s my duty to end him.”
A moment later, the pathway Jade and Anise had been standing on shifted - bridging the gap separating a third of the group. Tear released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
“That was fast. They should be here soon, then.”
“Tear.”
“Let’s see if we can find—”
“Tear,” Luke repeated, causing her to wince. “You’re not responsible for him. Blood or not, his actions are his own.”
The melodist slowly turned to face him, her hardened facade beginning to crumble under his scrutiny.
“Don’t, Luke,” her voice quavered ever so slightly. “Not now.”
Her head tipped forward, and her hair curtained her face from view. Tear could feel her resolve wavering, recalling the rare but precious time her brother had spent with her.
Van had always - always - made a point to visit for her birthday, with a small cake in a box from a fancy bakery in Daath. It was almost too pretty and perfect to eat, with generous swoops of frosting and curls of chocolate, but Van would cut them each a slice and insist she take the larger portion.
“The world can be bitter,” he'd said, only half-smiling. “You should enjoy whatever sweetness you can, Mysterica.”
She exhaled sharply and shoved that memory down as quickly as it had popped up. Far too much was at stake for her to risk it all over sentimental memories of a man who clearly no longer existed, if he ever even had existed. Sheridan was vivid proof of that.
A soldier never faltered, a soldier carried out their duties without hesitation.
Luke stared uneasily at her as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it off with her gloved hand and sniffed, turning on her heel to face away from him.
“…I'm sorry,” Tear said, forcing her voice to be steady. “I'm being ridiculous. I'll be alright in just a moment.”
Despite her efforts, her shoulders shook and her hands trembled. Gripping her staff tightly, Tear concentrated on her breathing. When she was sure no more tears would fall, she straightened her spine and looked up to where she could see Jade and Anise approaching in the distance.
“They’ve made it.”
Luke briefly looked toward where Anise and Jade were approaching, then back to Tear. As much as he wanted to offer some kind of sympathy, he knew it was the last thing she wanted right now.
“Good, glad they were able to figure this maze out,” he said, as though their discussion of Van hadn’t happened. A little of the tension in Tear’s shoulders eased away.
“Luke!”
Upon hearing his sister call out for him, he turned his attention to her and held his arms open with a tired smile. Anise raced towards him and nearly knocked him over as she threw her arms around him.
“We saw Guy and Natalia again!”
“You did?” Tear asked.
“Mmmhm. They were still too far away to really talk to, but they saw us, too, so now we know what direction we need to head in,” Anise said, squeezing Luke just a little tighter, “C'mon, Luke, let's get a move on! Don't want you to get too mopey without your girlfriend~”
Wife, he internally corrected as the four of them headed off in search of their missing companions.
—
This place was a nightmare, Guy decided upon as he and Natalia rounded what felt like the hundredth corner in this endless maze. Everything was starting to look the same, and had it not been for spotting Jade and Anise a little while ago, his sanity would be starting to slip.
“Please tell me we’re making progress…” he muttered under his breath as they came upon a crossroads.
One pathway led back upwards, away from their desired direction toward a teleporter. Where it went he could hardly guess, but he was not keen on the idea of jumping into somewhere blindly, especially after finally catching sight of their friends.
“Your guess is as good as mine…” Natalia said, lightly pressing a hand to her aching side. She considered suggesting they take a break and wait for the others, but given the labyrinthine construction of this place, it was unlikely to speed up their reunion. “It would be just our luck to take that,” she nodded at the teleporter, “and end up standing on Van's boots.”
“Yeah, probably,” Guy sighed. “Or… I don't know - outside, or something.”
“Yulia forbid,” the queen laughed breathlessly, only to stop short with a sharp inhale as her side seized up. After a few seconds, the pain subsided again, and she let out a slow breath. “Please don’t make me laugh, Guy.”
“Wasn’t my intention,” he answered, giving a cursory glance at her side. “How’re you feeling?
“I've been worse,” she replied, pulling her hand away slightly to make sure her gunshot wound hadn't re-opened. “Everything seems quite well-knitted for the time being, but I'll be glad when we leave and can rest properly. I might not even mind the flight back.”
“I should be more worried, then, if you're that calm about being on the Albiore. Do you want to sit down for a few minutes?”
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
She almost melted to the floor, and Guy kicked himself for not suggesting it sooner. Natalia might have been pretty tough, for a civilian and a royal, but he should have known she was too proud to admit she needed a break. After a few moments, the queen rummaged through her pack and pulled out a pineapple gel, then popped it into her mouth.
“Ah, that’s better,” she said as some of her energy returned.
“Have any more?” Guy asked as he took a seat near her.
“There should be… Here we are.” Natalia gently tossed the gel toward him.
“Thanks.”
“Of course. I'm just glad you all were able to stock up while we were in Baticul,” she said, taking a sip from her canteen. “How are you feeling?”
“Haven't fallen apart yet, though I wouldn't mind another night… or five… at the spa.”
Natalia managed not to laugh this time, but gave her friend an empathetic smile. At least Anise and Jade weren't here to tease her about why she might want to spend more time at the spa. Just thinking about it made her cheeks and ears burn.
“…Guy,” she said after a little while, fiddling with the items in her pack. “Do you… do you think I should have stayed in Baticul?”
The question gave him pause, and silence hung over them as he considered his response.
“From a pragmatic standpoint? Yes. Kimlasca needs you, and the risk of losing you out here is too high. I mean, you were shot and caught up in an avalanche.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“But from a personal standpoint - and perhaps a selfish one - I’m really glad you’re here,” Guy said, and Natalia felt her cheeks flush. “I can’t imagine trying to traverse this damned maze all by myself.”
“You'd still be with the others if you hadn't run to catch me,” she pointed out with a slight frown. “Not that I'm complaining, of course.”
Guy hummed in acknowledgement, then stood and stretched.
“Yeah, maybe. But I would have missed a huge step in dealing with my phobia. I’m glad you're here, Natalia, and my answer isn’t going to change. I'm sure Luke would say the same thing. He worries about you a lot - especially when all he can do is watch you from the Score.”
Now it was impossible to chalk her flushed cheeks up to the cold weather.
“Your phobia? I- you think so?”
“Are you kidding me?” He turned, looking at her with the most sincere smile she had ever seen on his face. “Natalia, I touched you. I honestly thought I’d spend the rest of my life unable to do such a thing—with any woman, really.”
Guy's smile was infectious, and Natalia's own lips curved in a grin.
“Well, don't give me too much credit. I'd hate for the ladies of Auldrant to blame me for their inevitable heartbreak. You're far too charming for anyone's good, you know.”
That earned hearty laughter from him.
“Ha! Well, I’ve already got some practice at that under my belt…”
“Oh?” Natalia’s brows rose, and she gave him a curious look.
“I can’t tell you how many Oracle Knights I’ve turned down over the years…” he muttered, gingerly scratching the back of his head. So many disappointed Cantors, a few Sergeants, and even a couple Colonels. “Don’t even get me started on the rumors they’d spread. There was a while where half the Order thought I gave ‘private lessons’ to Tear.”
“Oh… oh dear…”
Natalia braced herself for the task of rising to her feet, only to find a dark-gloved hand being held out to her. Guy was shaking slightly, his face pale and teeth gritted, but his eyes were resolute.
“Guy…?”
“It's alright… I can manage this much.”
“If you’re sure…”
She didn’t sound fully convinced, but a firm nod from him had her reaching up to take hold of his trembling hand. Tenderly, she placed her hand into his, and the moment they came into contact, he froze.
“Guy?”
After another long moment, he forced himself to draw in a breath. The shaking grew worse, but with some effort he grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her to her feet. As soon as she was standing steadily, the two released their grasp on one another and Natalia took a careful step back.
“Thank you,” she said, biting her lip. “…Are you alright?”
“G-give me a minute…”
Maybe he had pushed himself a little too far, but he wasn't screaming or trying to run. At least there seemed to be a little progress.
“Of course.”
Natalia took another step back. After a little while, the color came back to Guy’s face, and the trembling in his limbs slowly stopped. When he looked up at her a moment later, the terror in his expression had mostly vanished.
“Better?”
“Better.” He nodded, a smile coming to his face. “Now, getting back to it…” His gaze turned toward the teleporter ahead, and that smile quickly disappeared.
“—hey, there they are!”
Guy startled, hearing Anise’s voice suddenly in the distance. He quickly glanced around, then looked down to see her and everyone else on a lower platform. Relief flooded through him to see Luke was alright after that nasty fall, and that Tear was unharmed as well. But how did Jade and Anise meet up with them already?
“Do you guys see a way for us to get down?” Guy called out, judging that a jump from this distance was a bad idea.
“Backtrack along your pathway and then take the fork to the right,” Jade said.
“That was a dead end!”
“We toggled the apparatus to trigger the walkway and bridge the gap. It’s passable now,” Tear replied.
“Oh, so that's how all these paths connect…” Natalia murmured.
“Don't go anywhere, okay?” Guy yelled, “We'll meet up with you as quickly as we can.” He turned to begin their walk back and nodded along the path to Natalia. “C'mon, Your Majesty. We should get you back to Luke.”
“My, so formal all of a sudden,” Natalia teased as she followed him, not noticing the way Guy flexed his hand - as though their brief contact had electrified it.
—
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Natalia said as she and Guy rounded a pathway and finally reunited with the others. Luke still looked rather haggard and sickly, but he didn’t hesitate to embrace her, and then Guy.
“I’m glad you two are okay,” Luke breathed, grateful everyone was back together again. “You were the hardest to see and keep track of, and I…”
“We’re alright, Luke. It’s going to take more than a little fall to stop us.” Guy reassured him with a ruffle of his hair.
“Are there any injuries that need to be addressed before we proceed?” Tear asked the group at large, and when no one needed her or Natalia’s healing artes, the group headed off down the only remaining pathway.
The passage ring came into view upon stepping through a doorway.
The large central pillar thrummed with power, the concentration of fonons and memory particles densest here. As they drew closer, Luke began to lean more and more heavily on Guy. Sweat dotted the Scion’s brow, and he gritted his teeth, each step feeling somehow more impossible than the last. How was he supposed to network the passage rings all together when he could barely even stand?
Luke didn’t have long to ponder that concern before the group’s attention was drawn by the dramatic notes of a pipe organ filling the air. Just past the passage ring, Van was seated at the large instrument, playing what sounded like a strange off-key hymn.
“Van!” Tear’s grip on her staff tightened as her breath caught.
The Commandant rose to his feet, his back remaining to the group.
“…Mysterica, have you and Guy truly thrown your lot in with this bunch? Are you going to turn your backs on your family - on your homeland?”
“You're the one who's turned your back on them.” Guy glared, “If you hold the past in such high regard, then follow the orders of your lord and put an end to this plan you've concocted!”
“Gailardia, you disappoint me.” Van slowly turned, his eyes narrowing as his gaze fixed itself on Luke. “Would you rather cling to the son of your family’s murderer, the living embodiment of the Score itself?”
“So then everything was a lie? You’ve… hated me all this time?” Luke asked, using as much effort as he could not to stutter or let his voice break.
“With every fiber of my being.”
“Brother!” Tear objected sharply, causing Van to slam his fist against the organ’s keys. The resulting discordant racket made Luke grimace and cover his ears.
“This world is sick,” Van began, stepping away from the organ. “Sick, diseased, and rotten. The Score is a drug. ‘If you walk to the east, you shall discover great riches.’ If that reading came true, you would want to believe the next as well. Over the course of 2,000 years, Yulia has caused mankind to become addicted to the Score. A powerful medicine is needed to remedy 2,000 years of distortion.”
“So your solution is to destroy the Outer Lands?” Tear balked, causing Van to raise a brow.
“Oh?” A self-satisfied smirk briefly flitted across his face before his serious demeanor returned. “You mean to tell me you haven’t uncovered the full details of my plans, then?” His icy blue gaze narrowed.
Luke swallowed hard, his hand gravitating to the hilt of his blade. “It doesn’t matter, we’re here to stop you once and for all. Your plans won’t come to fruition!” He pulled his sword from its sheath and poised it, standing defensively. The others followed his cue, readying their weapons.
“Meaningless babble,” Van replied dryly as he pulled forth his own blade. “Die!”
“Not a chance!” Anise snapped, surging forward on Tokunaga to put herself between the Commandant and Luke.
Natalia and Tear pedaled back in tandem, the queen taking aim with her bow as Tear chanted a hymn. Guy rushed forward to unleash a rain of sword strikes on Van.
Van raised his sword, successfully parrying Guy, but Natalia’s arrow grazed his arm, tearing through cloth and skin with equal ease. Briefly, he fixated on her as his immediate target, but Tokunaga’s massive limb swiped into his side with enough force to knock him off-balance. Van took a step back to avoid being hit by a successive strike from the doll, allowing Guy to prepare for another attack.
Tear’s hymn finished, and first fonons saturated the air around Van as she tried in vain to put him to sleep. The commandant quickly shook the arte’s effect off, looking weary at best.
“You should know better than to try Yulia’s Hymns on me, Mystearica. I taught them to you.”
Tear grit her teeth. Her brother was right; all she'd done was waste precious time and energy. But she could chastise herself later, once Van had been dealt with. She refocused her attention and began casting an arte.
“Force field!”
A shimmering wall went up around the four combatants closest to Van just as Jade found an opening and thrust his spear towards the Commandant's side.
Natalia nocked another arrow and took aim at his opposite shoulder, but her line of sight was too hindered to dare take the shot. She pulled to the side, trying to see through the crowd when–
“Ground Dasher!”
The platform under her foot shook her off-balance, and she stumbled dangerously close to the edge. Bracing herself, she threw herself closer to the fighting to avoid another fall.
“Watch your artes!”
Jade gave a silent nod of acknowledgment. Using artes in this situation was risky, but trying to defeat Van without them was absurd - he’d simply have to time his casting more carefully. He pulled back toward the rear of the battlefield, allowing the others to hold the Commandant’s attention as he calculated and prepared his next arte.
Arm raised, he opened his fon slots to channel the appropriate fonons when Luke caught his eye. Deja vu set in, as the boy remained standing motionless within the chaos of battle. However, it wasn’t due to a lack of nerve, unlike last time. The young Scion was breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his pale face. He was relying on his sword to remain upright, his whole body trembling. He’d been struggling before, but now with multiple fonic artes being cast so closely, the concentration of fonons was just too much.
“You are such a nuisance on the battlefield,” Jade sighed as he grabbed hold of Luke’s collar and hauled him out of the way. The boy stumbled backwards, protesting that he could still help, but Jade only shoved him further back. “Stay back if you can’t fight.”
Natalia grabbed Luke's wrist, slender fingers encircling the spot his fon slot seal had once rested. “It's alright. I've got you,” she said as she moved them both back out of the fray. “Just try to breathe. We'll finish this as quickly as we can.”
She looked over at Tear, seeing sweat darkening her collar and the hair around her temples as the brunette tried to gather fonons for another arte. Natalia wasn’t sure where Tear’s energy levels were when the battle had started, but it was clear the strain of boosting the group’s attacks, defenses, and keeping them all healed was wearing on the soldier. Keeping one eye on Van, Natalia rummaged in her pack once more for a gel, but her hand came back empty.
“Damn…!”
It would be alright. She could take over healing from Tear for a while and let the fonist recover. She just had to hold on a little more - just until Luke caught his breath.
Guy unleashed another attack, but this time Van's parry sent him flying. Landing on his feet, he tried to block the slash of the Commandant's blade - and was partially successful.
“Pathetic and sloppy,” Van growled as a gash opened along Guy's arm. A heavy boot kicked the former God-General away from him, leaving a bright red trail in his wake. “We'll have to correct that…!”
“Guy!” Anise yelped as Guy hit the ground. The blond rolled away from the momentum, and it took him several moments to reorient himself and then scrabble back up to his feet. By then, Van was already upon him, his sword raised high in the air before slashing downward in a precise arc.
“No!”
A blur of tan and pink filled Guy’s vision, and the sound of fabric ripping echoed across the battlefield. Anise had raced over to fill the gap between Guy and the Commandant, and Tokunaga had taken the brunt of Van’s attack. His sword cleaved the giant stuffed animal, splitting it in half. Anise tumbled down off of her perch, hitting the ground right next to Guy.
“Oof!” she grunted, before feeling a strong hand wrap around her arm to pull her back up. She glanced up to see Guy, who quickly pushed her back behind him as he raised his sword. “But-!”
“Stay back and use artes!”
“A-alright!”
Anise fell back toward Tear and Natalia, standing between them as she opened her fon slots and started channeling.
“Negative Gate!”
The swirling vortex of first fonons opened up behind Van, dragging him back and lashing his body with dark tendrils. Taking this small opening, Guy retreated as Tear sang a healing hymn, closing the wound on his arm. As soon as he was no longer bleeding, he raced back to the front of the battlefield to re-engage Van - the Commandant was too dangerous to be given even a moment to recover.
With Anise relegated to casting artes, Jade pushed up alongside Guy, and Natalia cringed. It would be stupid to say the colonel was not a threat unless he was casting, but it was far from ideal. If Van were able to get inside his reach...
“Catch your breath and guard Luke; I’ll take over support,” she told Tear as she shouldered her bow and moved further from Luke to begin gathering fonons. “Barrier!”
Her arte found its target not a moment too late as Van's blade bit into Jade's side. The colonel winced and wrenched back, thanking his luck the princess hadn't dawdled in her casting. The shimmering barrier surrounding him reverberated as it absorbed some shock of the strike and repelled Van’s blade. Jade ignored the stinging in his side, using his spear to knock Van’s blade even further off-course.
Van was not so easily staggered, however. His stance remain firm, his grip ironclad. The barrier was an added annoyance, but not impossible to overcome. Despite the Scion’s friends' pathetic attempts to fight, they were becoming more and more worn down by the minute. It shouldn’t take much more to thin the herd.
He narrowed his eyes and adjusted his target, choosing Anise as the easiest opponent. He rushed the young girl before she had the chance to grab her mace, and took her down with a single hard kick.
“Anise!” Luke gasped. His sister remained on the ground, unmoving. With the fonons clouding his vision, he couldn’t see if she was even breathing.
Tear gripped her staff tightly, preparing to cast resurrection in order to bring Anise back into the fight, only to find her fon slots giving a telltale discordant buzz. She hadn’t regained enough energy to gather the amount of fonons required for such a high-level arte. Quickly, she reached a hand back into the item pouch slung around her hip, fumbling blindly for a life bottle. Her brother was not one to idle, though, and he was already upon her.
Her eyes widened, and in a desperate move, she abandoned her staff in favor of her knives sheathed on her garters.
“Nocturnal light!”
Her knives were deflected by his sword, and Van towered over Tear for a moment before knocking her out with a single pommel strike.
Guy cursed, his eyes blazing with fury as he pivoted and closed the distance between himself and Van. Damn, he really was getting sloppy if he'd allowed Van to get past him like that! He had to finish this now.
As Guy kept Van busy, Natalia cast one arte after another until they seemed to blur into one long stream. She threw every support arte on her two remaining comrades to try to even the ever-growing odds, even as her ears began to ring, and her throat grew dry.
“Fir-”
Her now-hoarse voice cracked midway through her cast, and Van’s free hand caught Guy's chin in a hard uppercut. The blond's eyes rolled back in his head, and he hit the ground.
Luke stared in horror, his chest tightening as panic took root. No matter how much he wanted to scream, he felt too sick . Half of their team was now unconscious, with only Jade remaining as their point. He had to do something, anything to help! Why wouldn’t his body work?!
“Sonic spear!”
Jade thrust at an opening in Van’s back, resulting in a furious snarl of pain from the Commandant. With these precious few moments, Jade circled around to where Tear lay. She had to have had a few gels he could use, overlooked in the heat of battle, something to replenish his energy. Even an orange gel would suffice.
As deft fingers rummaged through Tear's item bag, the hairs at the back of Jade's neck stood up. He rolled away, just as Van's foot swung through where his stomach had been.
“Your reflexes are quite sharp,” the commandant smirked, ignoring the arrow that went whizzing by his head. Jade thrust his spear up at him, but Van parried the strike and the Necromancer's spear went clattering to the side.
“I've been waiting sixteen years for an opportunity like this,” Van continued, slamming his heel down hard into Jade's left knee.
There was a sickening crunch.
Luke retched violently, trying to keep himself from vomiting, as Jade cried out in a way he’d never heard before. The damage must have been severe, as he’d seen Jade take painful hits with barely more than a brief grimace. Now his face was contorted in agony, the most genuine emotion Luke had ever seen in the colonel’s expression yet. And beneath the pain, there was a distressing level of shock and alarm in Jade’s eyes.
“Sixteen long, unbearable years,” Van repeated, bringing his heel down onto the broken knee again.
“S-stop!” Luke found his voice, unable to take hearing Jade’s screams. Van ignored him, kicking Jade in the chest. The colonel’s cries turned into groaning wheezes as he fell back to the ground, the breath knocked out of his lungs. “Stop it!”
“Piercing Line!”
Natalia’s arrow nearly grazed Van’s nose, finally distracting him from his revenge-fueled cruelty. He turned to face the queen, eyeing her and the Scion.
“Not one more step!” Natalia commanded, readying her next shot.
“Now, now. Just look at what you’ve done, Luke,” Van began, ignoring Natalia. “First Sheridan, and now your friends. When will you learn?”
Natalia's fingers loosed her arrow, and this time it wouldn't miss–but Van batted away as easily as though he were swatting away a fly. He stepped towards her, forcing her into a retreat as she frantically tried to nock another arrow.
”It really is a pity you have to die here,” Van said, leveling his blade at the queen. “When you've only just started to grow into your potential. But even you, Your Majesty, cannot live free from the Score.”
“By that logic, neither can you,” Natalia snapped. “So why don't you fall on your sword and make things easier for all of us?”
“There’s much work to be done before then,” he dryly replied.
Natalia had readied another arrow and raised her bow, but there wasn’t enough time to aim. She fired off the shot prematurely, missing Van as he stepped within striking distance.
“Stop! STOP!” Luke let go of his sword and staggered forward, his hands raised into the air.
“No, Luke!” Jade called out, struggling against his injury. No matter how hard he willed himself, his leg remained as useless dead weight rather than any kind of supporting structure. Even if he could stand, what could he do? There was too much distance between himself and Van to close given the state he was in, and regardless of his energy levels, he doubted he could maintain concentration on casting an arte with the level of pain radiating from his knee.
“Please, Van…!” Luke pleaded, knowing deep down it was futile to ask for mercy from this man. He just- he just had to buy the others some time, be it time to think, time to escape, time to heal- whatever it was that wasn’t dying here!
Van knocked the bow out of Natalia’s hand, and it skidded across the platform, falling over the edge. Disarmed, the queen froze. Van wrapped his hand around her throat and began to squeeze as he lifted her from the ground, no more troubled than when he had broken up the fight between her and Luke more than a decade before.
“I-I’ll cooperate!”
“Oh, I know you will,” Van said, as the queen’s feet kicked futilely. She clawed at his fingers, desperate to loosen his grip enough to just allow her to breathe. “There are just a few loose ends that need to be… dealt with.”
The panic that had been rising within Luke turned to crackling static in his mind. There was no time. None of the others could act, and his gesture of surrender had done nothing but to further endanger all of them. Largo’s chastisement from Mt. Roneal came back in full force—talking with the enemy was pointless.
He made a grab for one of Tear’s discarded knives, pressing the point against his own throat.
“Without me, your entire plan falls apart,” Luke threatened, keeping his glare locked onto Van.
Van raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. The sound, once something she'd been so fond of, made Natalia shiver.
“You were always more troublesome when you spent time with Her Highness. Although I’ll give you credit for not relying on the Score to make your decision. As a reward, I’ll let your precious queen continue breathing - though it's on her to survive.”
He threw Natalia to the ground like a child discarding a toy in the midst of a tantrum. Her head knocked into the platform with a loud crack, and her body shuddered as she coughed and gasped for breath.
Instinctively, Luke lurched forward and only caught himself at the last second. There was no guarantee Van would uphold sparing Natalia if he carelessly rushed toward them, no matter how badly Luke wanted to help her. He swallowed hard, mustering all of his strength to stay where he was and steady his shaking hands. Beads of cold sweat trickled down his neck and back.
There were several tense moments of silence as he stared Van down, the man returning his gaze just as intensely. Van was making no further moves towards Natalia, so Luke just had to maintain his advantage until their group could… do something…
Finally, Van stepped away from Natalia, wordlessly advancing on the Scion.
“Run, Luke!” Jade urged, and Luke took a couple of panicked steps backwards as Van now loomed over him.
“Lower the knife,” Van commanded in a low voice that sent a chill down Luke’s spine. He felt ten years old all over again, overwhelmed and intimidated by his former teacher’s presence.
Luke dared to steal a glance at Tear’s unconscious form, then up to the passage ring. If Van was able to carve in his own commands, Tear should be able to undo them once she woke.
“Luke!”
Natalia could barely manage the single, painfully hoarse syllable. Her eyes refused to focus, and her head throbbed, but even she could see where this was going. Blinking through fresh tears, she pushed herself up and tried to find her footing.
Van placed his hand over Luke’s, and he guided the knife away from his throat. “You’ve always been too soft-hearted. If you had just stayed in Yulia City, all those lives in Sheridan wouldn’t have been lost.”
Luke shut his eyes and shook his head. Steeling his nerves, he yanked his hands back and plunged the dagger into Van’s side. The commandant staggered back with a gasp, but the shock was only momentary. His elbow smashed into Luke’s face in a devastatingly fast counterattack, making the Scion reel back.
“You brat!” Van hissed as he pulled the knife from his side, heedless of the arc of blood that trailed after it. Luke had fallen to the floor, both hands covering his broken nose, and Van roughly grabbed him by his hair to pull him back up to his feet. “I cannot wait for the day when I can finally end you!”
A low, unearthly groan echoed through the caverns of the Absorption Gate. Moments later, the entire battlefield began to shake. Jade’s continuing efforts to stand were thwarted as the earthquake caused the shattered fragments of his knee to rattle against each other, and the Necromancer writhed in anguish.
Through the white-hot pain, he watched Van force Luke to his feet. Just beyond them, where his vision began to blur, he saw a figure clambering to stand upright.
“L-Luke…!” Jade managed through gritted teeth, feeling his consciousness begin to fade.
“Unhand him!” Natalia rasped as she stood on unsteady legs, still keeping her center of gravity low lest she lose her balance. “It ends here, Van!”
She staggered forward, making a grab for the fabric of Van’s torn sleeve. A hard pull made the fabric rip further and tug on his wounds, earning her a frustrated snarl. She tore at his forearm, trying to pull him away from Luke, but her strength was nothing compared to the leader of the Oracle’s God-Generals. Van shouldered her away from him, knocking her to the ground once more.
“I’ve come too far,” he started, wrapping his arm around Luke’s neck and pulling him into a headlock, “to be stopped by the likes of you!”
Luke gasped for breath, clawing the arm pressed firmly against his throat. Wide green eyes darted around looking for any way out of this. Should he cast an arte? There were so many fonons here the risk was—dammit, there was no time to be cautious!
Van dragged him away, pulling him over toward the passage ring, when Luke opened his fon slots and prepared to cast.
Another loud groan filled the area, and another violent tremor followed. Van quickly lost his balance, veering dangerously close to the edge of the platform. Luke struggled as hard as he could against Van’s grasp, catching an eyeful of the sheer drop that awaited them should either fall.
“Let… go…!” Luke rasped, beating his hands against the man wherever he could hit, wherever he could grab and pull.
“Luke! Watch the edge…!” Jade gasped.
Luke blinked.
For a brief moment he was weightless, freely suspended in the air. Time slowed to a crawl and then sped forward as gravity took hold and his body was jerked violently backward. A heavy weight pulled him down toward the endless abyss below.
The Scion’s scream ripped through the Absorption Gate as he and Van disappeared over the edge of the platform.
Natalia had been halfway to rising to her feet again, and now knelt frozen in place, with her eyes fixed on where she’d last seen Luke. Something was happening, Jade was saying something, but it was muffled beyond comprehension. The only thing she could hear clearly was the echoes of Luke’s final cry.
She pushed herself to the edge of the platform. Luke couldn't be gone. He couldn't. He couldn't leave her - them - Auldrant…!
Kimlasca’s queen stared down into the depths of Auldrant itself. The darkness yawned back up at her, all traces of the Light of the Sacred Flame now snuffed out.