Ardine and Claire were hurled ashore beside the stone bridge with their bodies battered by the torrent of the hooded figure. Cascading water slammed them against the cliffside, where jagged debris from the abyss rained down them, trapping them beneath its weight. The cliff beside them were carved ceaselessly into years of relentless tides from the waters, pinning them mercilessly and preventing them from escaping. It formed a prison that had no clear exit.
Claire laid her back against the jagged stone ground with her face aimed straight up at the darkened cloudy skies. As her consciousness slowly managed to return to fruition, a frozen paradise unleashed itself in the form of tiny snowflakes and droplets that descended from the sky. Her reddened nose and cheeks indicated a frigid environment as her breath returned to her, creating frosty vapor that dissipated with each exhale.
As snowflakes reached the crevices of her eyes, Claire lifted her back and attempted to adjust her blurry vision. She watched as a silhouette of Ardine in the distance seated himself on a jagged stone, acting as a bench to support him as snowflakes and waves of light water splashed against the current beside them. After readjusting her vision, she noticed he was playing with the recorder that he purchased from the D'Avuzel bazaar, unaware of what he was saying to it.
"Ardine...?" Claire muttered without force into her voice.
Ardine heard her soft voice despite the crashing of waves. He placed his recorder in his back pocket and sluggishly sifting his way toward Claire's direction. His voice was low and weak, despite appearing in flawless condition. "Hey, kiddo," He began. "Holding up okay?"
"Kind of," Claire feebly stated, clasping her hands together as she shuddered with intense weakness. "It's freezing…"
"Don't burn up," He said after removing his brown leather jacket, revealing a tight black undershirt underneath. He handed the jacket to her. "Here, have this."
"Why?" Claire asked. She sat up upright and shoved back the jacket with her palm. "No, no… you need this-"
Ardine snagged the jacket's ends and wrapped it around Claire's back and snugged it tightly by the collar, leaving the sleeves dangling off of the sides. He smiled lightly. "I'll be fine," He reassured. "Don't worry about me."
Warmth surged through Claire's arms from Ardine's jacket. Although it helped a gradual amount, nothing would stop the frosty feeling from the cliff's environment. Using her adrenaline, she gazed over her shoulders, hoping to locate Lyn, Alfaic, or Arisz, but was stumped when they were missing. "Where are the others?" She asked.
"Don't know," Ardine said, examining the blocked path on both sides, parallel against each other. Frustration read through his face as his eyebrows furrowed in loss. "But we're sandwiched, alright."
Claire hesitated for a moment before beginning to rise. "I'll make a path. Just give me a second." She insisted.
"No, you need rest." Ardine said, speeding back to her to prevent her from standing.
"I can get rest later when we're all safe-"
"Kid." Ardine's voice grew dull after he laid out his body straight for Claire to witness. A red-soaked bloody wound appeared on his flank. He clenched his teeth and pursed his lips together to endure through the unknown wound, pained beyond belief.
The moment Claire's eyes laid on his wound, she ejected out her seat and rushed toward to examine it closer. "Oh, shit…" She whispered. Her heart pulsated in anxiety. What do I... what do I do?" She panicked, looking up at him in worry.
"Nothing we can do now," Ardine said. "Just give me some time and I'll be back on my feet in no time."
"It'll get infected, or something. We have to do something-"
"Any bright ideas?" Ardine interrupted.
"Don't you have any medical supplies in your pouch?!"
"I already patched it up. Just let me handle it. Please." He pleaded.
Claire stood up and watched as Ardine stepped aside to give himself space to heal his wound. He sat on the same jagged stone bench and heard the waves in the distance weaken themselves, setting a serene and peaceful atmosphere with light snow drifting on their cheeks. He gazed up at the snow and watched it fall flat on his forehead, as Claire turned away, hoping to honor his request of having him handle his own affairs.
"The snow reminds me of Qliphos. You remember that journey?" Ardine asked.
Claire turned back toward him, reminiscing of her snowball fight and Lewis the Snowman back in the outskirts of Ionis 9. She warmly smiled underneath the cold weather, peeking at her reddened nose in joyous silence. "Hard to forget." She said.
"Going there after waiting for so long felt so satisfying," Ardine continued. "I didn't have a reason to. Until you came along."
Chuckling at the sappiness of his statement, Claire pressed her hands together and rubbed them, attempting to warm it up.
"Yep, it was on my bucket list for the longest time over, and what I think really drove me over the edge was seeing how you were dealing with it too. I don't think I would have gone if it wasn't for you."
"Okay, old man. What's with the corny talk?" Claire asked, approaching him from the side.
"Corny?" Ardine laughed before settling down. "It's nothing. Just... being alone, stuck in a secluded place like this makes me think. That's all."
Claire gazed up at the night sky with him, letting the snow droplets free fall on her blossomed cheeks. Both of them watched the beauty of it all in tandem. "It never snows in Qliphos," She said. "When I went there with all of you... I was enjoying it so much that I almost forgot the reason why we went. It makes me wonder how everything would have been if only the Rot never existed."
Scoffing at her statement, Ardine turned to Claire. "You saved me, kid." He said.
Claire's eyes widened as the two locked eyes.
"I wasn't able to find peace for the longest time until I visited that grave. And what you did there for my daughter is something I'll never forget." He continued.
She recalled his reference towards placing her tailored snowflake themed dress on his daughter's grave in honor for her passing. As she recalled the memory much closer, she reminded herself that it was the same exact dress the dreamscape version of herself was adorned in.
"I commend Lyn for what she's doing," Ardine continued. "She's changed ever since and found a reason to unite the world together for a shot against changing the future. And for once, I'd like to think that I felt the same way, all because of you."
Claire scoffed at his response. "You don't have to keep saying that, old man." She said.
"Sorry. It's just the dad talk, I guess." He apologized.
After a few minutes of silence, Claire sat back down and stood back up in succession. She examined the surroundings around them, noticing the parallel stone walls blockading their path. She moved her left hand out of the insides of Ardine's jacket, watching as its golden aether ignited the darkness in front of her with illumination. "I think I'm okay now," She said, clasping her fist before moving towards one of the blockaded walls. "Wait here. I'll take a look around-"
"Buchasa's a beautiful place too." Ardine said.
The name of Ardine's hometown froze Claire in her steps. She turned around slowly, watching how his gaze peered down at his feet to reminisce the memories behind it.
"Snows there from time to time too. Sometimes, it can get in our way when we're training the new warriors, or building a new settlement. But I like to think of it as a gift, even when the world seems so dark and empty."
Claire approached him once more as she continued to listen.
"And the people there, whoa, they're legends. Diana's our local bartender in the business for more than twenty years. She'll give you discounted drinks from time to time, and even cater to the youth with some free berry juice."
The thought of apple juice enriched Claire's taste buds.
"Ronan and his son Jian will teach you combat maneuvers and tricks like it's school. You can expect to have quite a bit of homework though. Let's not forget the rough examinations as well."
The thought of a school-like experience piqued her interest.
"Sophia runs the local orphanage and shelter. Tons of children there, bored out of their minds. She nurses them from time to time with the other workers. If you're there, all the children will flock to you no matter who you are. They're always looking for something to do, someone to play with. A home to stay in."
She remembered the refugee kids in D'Avuzel whom she befriended, and how quickly they were to treat her like an adult. Despite the obvious power trip, Claire was relieved she was about to protect them from harm.
"And of course, hypothetically speaking if you do adopt them, they'll surround you and treat you as if they're family, bring you free food, invite you out to play, of course, in a reasonable time frame if we're not working. I've always wanted to try it, but I couldn't ever disrespect my wife and kid like that. It's too hard for me. It's a place that I always miss, no matter how long I step foot outside it. I can't ever forget what they did for me."
Ardine stood up from his seat despite his wound and stood in front of Claire, who looked up at him with enthusiasm over Buchasa's description. He kneeled down until his face was met with Claire's at equal height, gazing into her glistening eyes as he smiled.
"You deserve a place like that," He said. "Not the one you dreamt of back there. It wasn't fit for you. Minus the broken legs, of course."
Claire chuckled. "Are you offering... what I think you're offering?" She asked.
"Maybe," Ardine drew his words in a lengthy manner. "Depends if you've still got the energy after all this is over."
Claire looked down at her feet in wonder before looking back at him. She couldn't fathom what she was hearing. "Why are you doing this?" She asked.
In utter silence, Ardine took the jacket wrapped around Claire and tugged it tighter, buttoning the beige buttons one by one until her entire body was covered without a glimpse of her skin. He reached into his leather pouch and pulled out a fuzzy red strap, no doubt a gift from his wife or child, and wrapped it around Claire's neck before tightening it completely.
Claire was snuggled up even further with Ardine's enormous jacket and warmth around her neck. She stood still as Ardine placed his palm on her shoulder and smiled.
"Because you're worth it, kid." He said.
His words made her smile as bright as the sun. It was obvious enough how much he held her to high regard. But it was not before her monstrous joy began to die down, losing her smile as Ardine's gaze continued to fixate on her. It wasn't long until she remembered her words to Lyn about her past, and it was something she realized she needed to convey before anything were to happen. It clung to her mind like a parasite, dictating her every move.
"A home like that would never accept me. Not after what I did." Claire whispered.
Ardine remained kneeling, watching Claire stare down at the ground to avoid eye contact.
"I was frustrated for so long," She continued as frustrated seeped through her voice. "Envie this, Envie that. None of who I was made any sense. I always wanted to run away, but I was too scared to. I pleaded with myself to change my fate. I made choices that were worth it in my life... and some that weren't."
She finally looked up at Ardine as tears began to glisten during snowfall.
"I killed my family." Claire finally confessed.
After Ardine's face failed to concur any change, Claire was searching for something to read as a reaction in response to what she had stated. She expected him to comfort her, but he ended up snickering for a brief moment, stunning her in disbelief. But all of that was about to change for her.
"Me too, kid." Ardine stated.
Claire's eyes widened as her heart skipped a beat. She was rooted in place, believing he was lying just to make her feel better about herself. However, after several seconds, Claire realized he was telling the truth.
"It was an accident. And to this day, I still hold it in my heart," He begun, out of the blue. "But look where I ended up. Forty years of age... a wife and kid... a beautiful home... and a future worth fighting for. I met you... and all I can think of is my daughter's face. It proves to me... that she's watching me from up there and that by some miracle from heaven, she gifted me someone so precious to me to the point where I can't distinguish the two of them together sometimes."
"Ardine..." Claire whispered, realizing he was comparing herself to his own daughter.
"I won't question it. Because I know how it feels. But you're just a kid, Claire. We all have to grow up sometime. And there's no better place than home to start." Ardine finished.
She felt the truth in his words. Without forgiving herself, she would remain chained to the past. Lyn had pleaded her to let go, but it was Ardine's confirming presence that finally gave her the strength to believe she could. She rushed forward and collapsed into Ardine's embrace, clutching him as if he was the key that proved her dark past could no longer reach her.
Ardine drew her close, using his right palm to rest against her ponytail as he stroked her hair with tender ease. They felt connected once more, holding their embrace for seconds that felt like minutes. "Look who's being corny now." He joked.
"Shut up." Claire mumbled, voice muffled by him pressing into his abdomen.
They parted away, and Ardine sank to his knees until their faces were close again. With his cold hands, he drew the fuzzy sash snug around Claire once more. "When this is all over... when the world has healed from our fight and when the sun finally comes out without having to worry about our lives, we'll know it's true peace." He said.
Claire nodded in understanding.
"You'll see Diana... Ronan and Jian... and Sophia, and plenty of others, including me. You'll have a nice warm bed... breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all you can eat on the table grown locally from the farms. Cows and cats and dogs to chase for fun, maybe even training the locals how to defend themselves. Playing with the children, watching them grow up. Music playing everywhere, dancing just like the festival."
All of it sounded too good to be true, but she knew it was real.
"And you get to do that all over again, every single day," Ardine concluded. He pressed his palm against her shoulder once more for his final offer. "So, would you like to come with me?"
The culmination of everything Ardine had offered had come through; Claire's lips trembled as the weight of his offer sank in. It was finally time. She always wondered if she would ever receive a second, no, third chance to live in peace, and now, the answer was in front of her. She continued to tell herself that she deserved it in her mind, believing that this was the moment where she could finally forgive herself.
Tears suddenly spilled down her red cheeks; they were frosty and cold. Her breath hitched as she tried to speak. Her tears released all fragments of the pain she had held. Szene, Qliphos, her family's murder; it was all seemingly whisked away. As Ardine leaned in closer to clear Claire of her frozen tears, Claire nodded and whispered as softly as possible.
"I'd love to." She said.
Ardine chuckled as if he hadn't in years. He nudged her shoulder as a wave of relief surged through his shoulders.
"Thanks, kid." He said.
Just as he leaned his knees back, a surge of pain struck his bloodied wound. Claire's face seized up, witnessing his face clenched and tensed up. She caught him just as he was falling and pinned him upward. "Hey!" She called. "How are we supposed to get out of here if you die on me like this?"
"I'm not dying. Just… old man stuff, you know?" Ardine joked.
Claire sighed. "Just sit down and rest. I'll find a way through, okay?" She insisted.
Ardine sat back against the jagged stone bench and closed his eyes. "Okay." He whispered.
"Don't close your eyes. You'll give me a heart attack." Claire said, moving toward the snow drifted path toward the parallel rocks. Ardine was right; there was no crevice big enough to slip through, nor any path they could step on to climb over. She moved toward the cliffside boulder closest to the crashing waves and looked up toward the night sky, catching the ancient stone bridge suspended with time magic towering above her. The small bridge that seemed so distant before turned into a planet before her eyes.
She concentrated her left palm's golden aether and pressed it gently against the wet stone boulder. Suddenly, a drizzle of rain began to descend from the skies; she looked up and felt it touch her skin.
With a newly profound goal of reaching her new home, Claire summoned her strength and dissolved the boulder with a single press. There was nothing that stood between her future, and she honored that with a dutiful nod.
However, immediately after the massive boulder dissolved its contents entirely, the hooded figure that sent her to the dreamscape stood several feet in front of her, gazing toward the endless vista of crashing waves. Alarmed, Claire froze, watching the figure turn toward her with the upper section of their face obscured. Her cold breaths were shallow, wondering if she should take on the offensive or defensive in the moment.
Without another word, the hooded figure began ascending toward an inclined path toward the ancient stone bridge.
"HEY! Hey, WAIT!" Claire cried, rushing after them. She removed Ardine's jacket and sash, tossing it on the ground behind her for him.
Half a minute later, Ardine opened his eyes and realized Claire had disappeared after a . He stood up and rushed toward the path she opened as fast as he could, clutching his rifle with his left hand and his wound on the right.
"CLAIRE!" Ardine shouted. But the yell caused a tremendous amount of pain to strike his patched wound. "Shit...!"
After Claire ascended the inclined stone path, a torrent of blistering winds instantly struck the premises around her, obscuring her vision. Leaves, rain, and dirt collided with her face to prevent her from moving onward. A short glimpse of the hooded figure remained as she was determined to search for answers to her dreams.
Using her left hand, she conjured a golden aether barrier to halt the cascade of debris in her face and pressed onward. She trailed the hooded figure as fast as she could as her body was still being blown back by the exterior force of the conjured gust. Massive chunks of obsidian-sheen boulders collided with the ground beside her, attempting to impede her path. But she did not falter, and pressed forward.
By the time she gathered enough distance between Ardine and herself, Claire found herself ascending the colossal ancient stone bridge, and she was astonished to find vehicular shaped structures sprawling blocking the pathway ahead of her. She watched the hooded figure vanish and reappear several meters away through, forcing Claire to follow after them.
An invisible force of aether gradually shifted her balance away, pulsating with every second as she continued toward the epicenter of the bridge. Passing through the vehicles made it much more difficult to balance her step, so she resorted to dissolving them entirely with her left hand. Floating stone bricks suspended in time hovered over her as her eyes trailed upward, sensing the invisible aether brushing against her body.
Upon reaching the empty center with all of the vehicles erased from it, the hooded figure stopped. Blistering winds tugged at their cloak as they stood rigid with their back turned to Claire. The invisible aether pressed harder against Claire, forcing her to raise her right hand in defense. Its weight clawed against her body, but the hooded figure stood motionless and unfazed from the force of the aether.
"STOP!" Claire cried out.
The hooded figure spun at last, her face hidden above the mouth, gaze blank and unyielding.
"Who are you?!" Claire demanded.
No response; only a deadpan stare. The aether pressed closer against Claire with its weight mounting against her. Claire lowered her hand and furrowed her brows. She took a gamble with her next statement.
"It was you… in that study, wasn't it?" Her voice trembled low. "You drew Lyn… and that man kept you from leaving."
The hooded figure shifted their head aside to deny Claire's statement. The truth was pressing closer to Claire, believing she could talk it out with them in the end.
"Were you trying to show me something!?" She continued. "I know you were! Why else would you show me that place with my family?"
The figure remained still, seemingly pondering in silence.
Claire extended her dominant hand with a steady palm as a silent offering of trust. Her eyes softened with empathy, believing that she could bridge the distance between them to end the silence. Another gamble; this time, it was a statement much further than insanity had dared to define.
"Claire...?" She called. "Are you... me?"
The figure began to turn away, as if their connection slipped like sand. Panic forced Claire to feel as if her grip loosened her hold on them, stepping forward to accommodate for her brief loss.
"It's okay," Claire soothingly stated. "It'll be okay. Listen! If you really are me... it'll be okay. You have to trust me. We can move on from this together. We can help each other. Our future doesn't have to be like this."
The figure turned their head back, seemingly reconsidering her trust.
A smile briefly appeared on Claire's lips. "I just got the offering I'd always dreamt of. I got a third chance, and it's been a long time waiting. I never thought it would ever happen to me after everything I did... but it came true. I realize that I do deserve it," She said, stepping closer to the figure. "And so do you. I know a place we can go, trust me!"
Silence.
Claire sought to understand the dreamscape further. She lowered her hand. "I saw your face, Claire," She remembered. "You didn't want to be there. That look on your face said that you wanted to escape. There wasn't any... emotion in your body. You didn't want to draw anymore. You felt trapped, and that's when he tried to stop you," She pressed her hand against her chest. "I felt it too before. But everything changed... ever since I met them. My chance to live... my reason and will returned. So we can still change this! You don't have to hurt anymore!"
Silence.
"You don't have to be afraid anymore," Claire continued. "I want to see your face. I want to help you. Please."
Her prayer was answered; the figure lifted their hands gently toward the sides of their hood after turning fully to Claire. After a long time waiting, they finally removed their hood, revealing their face. The dim light from the ancient aether above them caught the edges of their cheekbones as the hood fell back.
Claire's breath paused as dread flashed across her eyes.
It was a much older version of Claire, aged two decades apart. Her blank eyes fixated on the ground. Her face was hollow and drained as lifeless as the dreamscape. There was nothing but a void in her soul that prevented anyone from reading her eyes. Her brown ponytail was replaced with plunging brown hair that went down her shoulders. Her pale skin was seemingly untouched by sunlight for centuries.
All of this culminated in her performing a deadpan stare at the young Claire, still and silent. She revealed the Rot Mother's fragment in her left hand, hidden in her sleeve.
Claire's lips pursed in stunned awe. This had to be another illusion, but the truth stood undeniable.
"What...?" Claire whispered. "Why...? Why is this happening...?"
"CLAIRE!" Ardine's voice shouted from behind her, forcing the younger Claire to spin around in shock. His arms pressed against the invisible aether, blocking his vision of the older Claire.
"NO! GET BACK!"Claire cried.
His voice compelled the older Claire to pull the hood back over her hollow visage. As she stepped to retreat, a golden pillar of aether erupted behind her, searing upward toward the midnight sky. The Rot Mother's fragment entered the pillar and vanished. The unleashed force surged outward and blasted an unstoppable wave that hurled Claire and Ardine backward. Their bodies flung back as if they were caught in the wake of a storm. Claire shot her left hand outward, protecting both herself and Ardine in the crossfire.
The light pillar expanded wider than ever before, reaching the sides of the bridge. An increasingly large presence was arriving, brimming with aether and power than ever before.
"What's going on!?" Ardine shouted as he defended himself behind Claire.
"It's me!" Claire cried. "The hooded one is me!"
"What?!" Ardine couldn't hear her.
A final blast of aether shot them both backward, tumbling against the stone ground. The light pillar began to fade away, revealing a colossal black titan looming over them like a skyscraper. Its body was like a fortress of obsidian, revealing fissures and hollow wounds pouring with red Rot. Streams of blinding white energy spilled outward in bright orifices, festering in silence. The air trembled with whispering voices leaking out from within. Upon further glance, the titan seemed to be an enhanced version of the dreamscape creature carrying the voices and burdens of deceased souls from memories.
Claire realized that the voices came from the Rot Mother's fragment, embedded in the core of its chest in a glooming blue hue.
Its eyeless face glanced downward at the two of them, roaring with tremendous might. It reared its grotesque right fist upward before crashing down like a falling mountain. The impact tore through the ground, causing a shockwave to erupt outward. It hurled Claire and Ardine backward off the bridge with the both of them holding on for their dear life on the edge.
"SHIT!" Ardine shouted. "I'm losing my grip!"
"NO!" Claire cried.
Before they could sharpen their senses to recover, the two of them plunged down into the abyss until without warning, a rift opened beneath them. It seized their bodies and hurled them several meters back on the stone bridge and away from the obsidian titan. Its inescapable presence tracked the two, growling at someone approaching from their behind.
"Right on cue, folks." Arisz's noteworthy deep voice called out. He appeared with his spear in hand, armed by his side.
"Took you long enough," Ardine gasped, clutching himself upward with his rifle in hand. "Where were you?"
"Aether brain was acting up," Arisz replied. "Hard to miss such a force like this one. You'd have to be blind to miss that."
From above, Lyn descended down from the skies like a lightning bolt, with Déraciné gleaming in her hand. She leaped down with effortless grace, landing and picking up Ardine from the ground to steady his weight. Amidst the chaos, a smile still emerged. "Room for one more?" She asked, smiling at the reunion of their group.
"Lyn!" Claire called, joyous at the sight of her return.
"Came as fast as I could," Lyn replied, staring at the obsidian titan. "Is everyone okay?"
"Okay is an understatement. What the fuck is that thing?" Ardine asked.
"The Rot Mother's fragment's inside that thing!" Claire stated, unveiling her folded blade and imbuing it with her golden left hand. "We have to get it back!"
"Looks like the dreamscape hasn't fully left us, yet," Arisz stated, rotating his spear. He chuckled in excitement, rearing his body back in a charging position. "Come, my apprentices! Give me my daily dosage of fun!"
Lyn nodded firmly as her brows angled downward with fierce resolve. She shifted her stance with Déraciné by her side. Even without Alfaic, she knew what she had to do. Every muscle coiled for battle.
"GO!" She declared.
In an instant, her body surged forward as a streak of motion blazed through like lightning across the battlefield.