Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tears streamed down his face and soaked the sheets below him as Kori curled himself into a ball on the bed. He was no stranger to crying but these tears were different. He felt them roll down his cheeks and drip off his chin but they weren’t his tears. But he just let these emotionless tears fall as he laid in Aymeric’s bed because he really had no other options at this point.

Well emotions were there definitely involved, several of them in fact, wounding their way around his heart and squeezing, causing him to ball up and wrap his tail around his slender frame. But they were not his emotions just ones he was feeling, from whom and from where they came from, he only had a guess. 

Ardbert had long since merged his soul perfectly to Kori’s fitting together like two puzzle pieces that had been separated for eons too long. Their souls melded together and worked in synchrony to the point where you would not be able to tell one from the other, in fact to an outsider it would be perceived as just a single soul. But their minds and their hearts? Those did not mesh as well. 

Kori could not even start to comprehend the meaning behind all that he had learned from Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch. His soul was not his. It was a portion of a soul that belonged to someone centuries before he was even conceived. It was a shattered remnant of a soul that had had its own life long before the Source was even the Source. It was a small piece of a soul that had just recently grown just slightly bigger with their merging. 

Hence the crying. 

Kori may not know how to start analysing his emotions but Ardbert was certainly long past that. Ardbert has had a hundred years alone to understand his thoughts and feelings, all of which were culminating to this point. 

A hiccup escaped Kori’s lips as the tears started to lessen. His throat was raw and his heart even worse but Ardbert seemed to be finally calming down. He had released everything that had been building over the years and Kori tried to reach out his own mind to soothe the other’s. 

Kori couldn’t quite describe the sensation of reaching out to touch another soul that was within his own. In fact, that was one of the many reasons he chose to keep this particular development a secret. (And the fact that he was basically a reincarnated Ascian, he was pretty sure that would not go over well.) He knew that on some level he was soothing himself but he felt detached from it all the same. Like his soul was a nesting doll, on the outside was him and his thoughts and feeling but if he opened it up and dug inside there was Ardbert waiting to be heard. 

Ever since the merge, Kori had bouts of deja vu where memories and thoughts that were not his own would leak into his consciousness feeling oh so familiar despite knowing that he had never been there or done that before. And it wasn’t just Ardbert’s memories either. Sometimes he would have dreams of Amaurot. A recent development, memories that must have laid dormant for years now coming to surface after his recent adventures.   

A life long past that was never his but also only his all at the same time. How would he ever be able to explain that without sounding mad?  

The tears finally stopped and Kori slowly unfurled himself stretching out and listening to his joints pop into place. He should shower and eat, and somehow hide the puffy redness the crying had left behind. Last thing he needed was to have Aymeric fret over him when he was under so much stress with the rebuilding of Ishgard as it was. 

You’ll need to tell them one day. It’s better for them to find out from you than another source.

That was another thing Kori was going to have to get used to. The whispers in the back of his head. He sat up and ran a hand through his loose hair, squashing down Ardbert’s words into a compartment far in the back of his mind. By the Gods, if he was going to have to go on a mission to recombine all the fragments of his soul before being able to stop the Ascians he was going to lose it. There was no way thirteen separate personality would fit together without a fight. He was going to go fucking mad. 

Yes, but you know I have a point.

Fuck. 

“Alright, fine,” Kori spoke to the room aloud, “But I’m not telling anyone here on the Source until I know exactly what’s going on and how to deal with it.”

There was only one person he could think of that would be able to take this new development in stride.

Well I guess He would be the best option. He seems the most knowledgeable and knows you better than you know yourself.

“One problem,” Kori said as he stood and headed for the bathroom, “How do we get back to the First?” 

Ardbert was surprisingly quite at that and Kori couldn’t help but snort. For a man so full of opinions he had no answers to questions. What good was sharing his soul if he still had to do all the hard thinking on his own? Well there was no better place to think than in a hot shower. Kori turned the knob on the pipe and waited as the water started to heat up.  

---

G’Raha heaved a sigh as he sat down on the side of his bed. It had been a long day in Spagyrics, he had been forced to drink the very definition of foul to ensure that the wounds that had been given to him from Emet-Selch’s gracious hospitality would heal properly. 

Even with his injuries, the Scions still being stuck on the First, and the way his plan had gone haywire, G’Raha still felt a sense of deep satisfaction bubble up inside him. A small smile formed on his lips as he stated to change his bandaging. He had managed to summon Kori after all those years of failure, together they had brought back the night to the First and stopped the eighth umbral calamity. There were hiccups along the way and his master plan of dying to fix all his mistakes didn’t quite get fulfilled but they were victorious either way. 

G’Raha shrugged off his outer layer of clothing and stood to hang it on the wall. He would have to figure out what to do with himself now that he was given a second chance at life. His plans had only gone as far as, become the villain and allow Kori to become the hero unmarred. Now though, the people of the Crystarium considered him a hero in his own right and G’Raha wasn’t sure he was ready to do deal with that. Adventuring? Yes, he welcomed it. Being a hero at his age? It was going to give him heart palpitations.  

A thump and the sound of someone’s soul leaving their body made him drop his robes just before reaching his clothing rack. G’Raha jumped a foot in the air and whipped around quickly to see who was intruding on his private chambers within the tower. He did a quick glance about his room and saw nothing. A moment passed and then movement in the corner of his eye drew G’Raha’s gaze to the floor where he found Kori, in the flesh, in a tangled pile of his own robes. 

“Gods damn it all, Feo Ul! I said bring me to the First not drop me on the floor!” Kori shouted in, what G’Raha could only presume was, the direction the fairy had been. 

G’Raha had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. Once he was certain that yes the Warrior of Darkness was sprawled out on his bedroom floor he subsciously reached to pull his cowl over his head. Except his cowl was also sprawled out on the floor of his bedroom where he had dropped it. Why did it matter anyways? Kori knew who he was now, there was no need to hide and yet the urge stayed with him, out of habit possibly, as he slowly made his way across the room. 

“Well it would seem they succeeded as you are on the floor on the First,” G’Raha said a lot more casually than he felt. 

Kori paused in his scrambles and turned towards the other, “Oh! Oh shit! It worked!” 

He jumped up with surprising grace and stumbled over to G’Raha grabbing both his hands with the biggest grin on his face.

“I really made it back?” Kori asked.

G’Raha nodded, his cheeks reddening and he could feel his heart race. They were certainly standing very close to each other, that they were for sure. He could practically feel Kori’s breath on his skin, could see every blemish on his face, and the way the lantern light caught in his green eyes making them swim. G’Raha swallowed. 

“Yes. Though I would very much like to ask you how you managed to summon yourself here.” He took a half step back to ensure that his voice would stay even but did not unlock their hands. 

“Feo Ul helped, honestly I don’t know how she did it but whatever it worked that’s all that matters,” Kori shrugged and then his smile dropped for a moment. 

Concerned flitted across G’Raha’s face as he watched Kori’s emotions. His eyes flicked to the side and his ears tilted. It almost seemed like he was listening to something that was just out of earshot. There was no one else in the room that G’Raha was aware of, perhaps this was just a side effect of the impromptu summoning. 

“I know, I know,” Kori sighed and his gaze landed back on G’Raha, “I came here to tell you something-”

He cut himself off and G’Raha watched as he took in their surroundings for the first time.

“Wait, why are we in a bedroom?”

“This happens to be my bedroom. It would seem that Feo Ul decided it fit to drop you off at my feet. You must have been very focused on finding me...” G’Raha replied and suddenly became aware of his partial state of undress.

He shifted his weight and finally pulled his hands away, which Kori didn’t even seem to notice as the other had turned to inspect G’Raha’s belongings. G’Raha, meanwhile, quickly bent to pick up his discarded robes and throw them over himself. 

“Oh man, I’ve never been this far into the tower. Who knew it had rooms like this?” Kori said with awe in his voice as he ran his hand over some on the crystal furniture.

“I had to make most of it myself but it has suited me just fine over the years,” G’Raha replied, though he was certain Kori was not listening. 

“Raha!” Kori exclaimed and G’Raha’s pulse quickened again at the intimate usage of his name, “This is absolutely amazing. Can I stay here rather than the inn?”

Without even waiting for a reply, Kori flopped onto G’Raha’s bed and G;Raha had to stop himself from thinking about how amazing Kori looked spread out on his bedsheets. His hair just the right shade of purple to not clash with the blue of the crystals, his robes splayed open just enough that G’Raha could see a hint of collarbone...

No, Exarch, that was a long time ago. 

Kori, for his part, continued to nuzzle himself down into the bed until his face was completely buried in the pillow and he gave a very content sigh that could easily pass for a moan.

“Man, this is even nicer than Aymeric’s bed. He’s gonna be so jealous,” Kori said, “I’m definitely sleeping here tonight. You don’t got a choice in the matter.” 

G’Raha was not about to argue with that. He was more than happy to share his bed with Kori once more but something had stuck out to him. 

“Aymeric?” G’Raha questioned as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed again. 

“Oh! Oh, man. He’s one of my husbands. Absolutely dreamboat of a man, let me tell you,” Kori replied and waved his left hand in the air for G’Raha to clearly see the ring that had been placed there.

Kori was grinning, clearly very proud of the spouse he had chosen to bond with. G’Raha couldn’t quite figure out how to respond to the sudden knowledge that his ex-boyfriend, who he clearly still had feelings for, had gotten married some point after everything had happened. How long after the tower did Kori wait to replace him he wondered...

 “My other husband is Thancred if that’s what you’re wondering,” Kori said and G’Raha realized he had been silent for far too long. 

“They are very lucky men,” G’Raha forced a smile and nodded.

He knew that when he volunteered to be the tower’s guardian, that he would miss out on a few things. He never expected to be around to see Kori move on. He had expected to wake up centuries later and only hear the tales of the Warrior of Light’s life after he had left. But to actually have evidence flaunted in front of him, to be alive to witness Kori’s new life...well that was a burden he had not been expecting to bear.

Kori rolled onto his side and furrowed his brow, for a moment G’Raha almost thought that Kori could see right through him and was examining the emotions G’Raha was trying to keep down but then he reached over and patted G’Raha’s thigh, face relaxing into warm friendliness again.

“There’s so much I need to catch you up on,” Kori said, “You won’t believe what I’ve been through since you went to sleep on me.” 

A snort that was half a laugh came from G’Raha. Oh, he had no doubt Kori had been up to no good and gotten into too much trouble in the years he’d been gone. 

“But I’ll have to save those stories for later.” Kori pushed himself up into a sitting position and G’Raha took note of the atmosphere shift once more. (Gods he had forgotten how much of an emotional rollercoaster Kori was.) He turned himself to face Kori, readying himself for whatever gut punch he was about to receive next would be.

“Raha, I’m not who you think I am. Well I guess I’m technically not who I am think I am either. I’m not what anybody thinks….I….,” Kori took a breath, “For lack of a better word, I guess I’m an Ascian.” 

He had not been ready for that.

Chapter Text

G’Raha was sitting on a cliff overlooking Silvertear Lake, legs dangling freely over the edge. Kori’s ear flicked forward as he got closer, picking up a song that was floating on the air. He never knew G’Raha had such a beautiful singing voice. He sat himself down next to the other and leaned his head against the shoulder of his would-be boyfriend. G’Raha continued to sing despite the interruption finishing his song only a few moments later, pushing his own weight back against Kori’s in acknowledgment of his presence. They sat like that in silence for a moment enjoying the colors of the setting sun across the lake and dancing off the crystals around them .

“When you think about the future for yourself what do you see?” G’Raha eventually asked, clearly having been deep in thought. 

Kori didn’t answer immediately. He hummed a reply for a moment and watched a bird preen itself in its nest below them. 

“Experiences,” came his reply, “I see a life of learning about a world I had never known. Going on adventurers and making stories that bards will pass down for generations.” 

G’Raha nodded and looked back out over the lake, “That sounds nice. Maybe I can join. If you’ll have me?”

Kori laughed and gave G’Raha a shove, “When have I ever said no to you? Of course you’ll be there. We’re a pair you and me. ‘inseparable and dastardly annoying’ I believe is how Rammbroes put it.”

G’Raha shoved him back and Kori swayed, pretending to lose his balance and go towards the edge causing G’Raha to scramble to grab him in a panic. 

“You little shite, you did that on purpose,” G’Raha said, pinning him down. 

Kori grinned up at G’Raha enjoying the way his eyes dazzled with humor despite the angry face he was trying to keep. He reached a hand up and caressed the side of G’Raha’s face slowly.

“And what if I did, Raha? Are you going to punish me?” Kori pushed himself slightly upwards and pressed his lips to the side of the other’s mouth. 

“You would like that too much,” G’Raha huffed and sat up on Kori’s thighs.

Kori laughed, his head thrown back against the rocks and his ears at attention. Soon, G’Raha joined in his laughter and their voices carried across the lake, vibrating off the crystals and disappearing into the night sky. 

Neither of them knew what was to happen next. They were not privy to the true path the future had in store for them. Nor did they ever stop to wonder if this night together might be one of their lasts for years (centuries) to come. If they had known that would they have spent it any differently?

---

Ardbert ran the whetstone across the edge of his axe as he watched the line of Talos’ methodically march to and from the Ladder. He hummed to himself as he worked, a smile on his face at the success of his mission. There had been a slight bump in the road when those hobgoblins decided to gang up on him but thanks to Lamitt he was safe and sound and they were both paid with warm food in their bellies. He crossed his legs and held his axe out over the edge of the wall to inspect his handwork in the setting sun. A bump against his leg made him pause and look down. Lamitt, speak of the devil, had plopped down next to him and leaned herself up against his side with a sigh. He nodded at her when their eyes met and brought his axe back down to his lap to continue his sharpening. 

“When you think about the future for yourself what do you see?” Lamitt asked, breaking the silence between them. 

Ardbert paused in his strokes for a moment to think, “Adventurers. I see us traveling, perhaps gaining more members of our party, and experiencing the world together. Helping those in need and enjoying life to its fullest extent.” 

“I like that very much,” Lamitt replied. 

She sat herself upright and swung her feet over the edge precariously, “Perhaps we should start by getting you some new gear. I can’t have my new partner dying on my watch.” 

“Hey,” Ardbert shot a look in her direction and placed a hand on his chest, “My gear is fine. Top notch. Best money can buy. Those hobgoblins were just bullies.” 

“If you say so,” Lamitt rolled her eyes at him and patted his thigh, “Where do you purpose we start our journey?” 

“Hmm, I’ve heard tales of a shipyard near here that may need a hand with the local wildlife. I wouldn’t mind starting there if you have no objections,” Ardbert thought for a moment before continuing, “Though, I should ask, you left your village for a reason didn’t you? Mayhap we begin with your own quest?”

Lamitt sighed and looked out at the water stretching for malms on the horizon, “My journey will not be settled overnight. It will take many moons I imagine to get what I am looking for.” 

“Well, then we better start looking.” Ardbert reached over and patted the top of her helm, which caused Lamitt to flail her arms up and turn to mock punch him in the side. Ardbert grabbed at the ‘wound’ and fell over laughing, Lamitt crossed her arms and huffed but was quickly overcome by his joy and let out a soft laugh of her own. 

Neither of them knew what was to happen next. They did not worry themselves about light and dark in that moment for they did not yet know of that future. Nor did they fear that they would ever be hated and cast out by the people they fought so hard to protect. Perhaps if they had foreseen their true destiny that day they would have chosen a different path. 

---

Hades was sitting in his usual spot up on the roof of the highest tower in Amaurot when Dionysus found him. Honestly, this should have been the first place Dionysus had looked when he went in search for his friend but that was all past now. Hades seemed very content in his spot, leaning forward with hands on his knees as he stared out across the city.

He didn’t turn when Dionysus approached and sat next to him, bumping up against his shoulder and leaning against his friend. Instead he asked a question that caught Dionysus off guard,

“When you think about the future for yourself what do you see?”   

Dionysus answered after a moment to comprehend the question, “Life,” He said, “I see us continuing on just as we are, living and experiencing everything this world has to offer. Going on adventures and seizing every opportunity to make a name for ourselves.” 

“What kind of answer is that?” Hades scoffed, “Of course we all see a life ahead of us. We are immortal. Dionysus are you drinking again?” 

Dionysus let a huff pass his lips as he crossed his arms and leaned away from the other, “Fine, then what do you see?”

Hades answered quickly, “Us. Together. Getting the spots on the Convocation we were destined for. Creating and helping Amaurot become better.” 

“That’s what I said!” Dionysus flopped himself backwards onto the rooftop, “You just used different words.” 

“Would you like to make this an official debate?” Hades shot back and Dionysus could practically feel the smirk he was wearing.

“Let’s just both agree we have the same vision for the future and move on,” he reached over and patted the closest part of Hades he could reach, his back maybe? Or was it a thigh?

Hades grabbed Dionysus’ wandering hand and started to play with his fingers, “Whatever happens we will have each other for eternity, that I know for a fact.” 

Dionysus entwined his fingers with the other’s and pulled Hades down on top of himself. He reached up to pull Hades’ mask away and view his face clearly. His own mask vanished at his will. There was no one else on the rooftop to harass them for forsaking proper decorum anyways, there was no reason for Hades to fight him on this tonight. 

A bubble built up inside Dionysus and he found himself chuckling while he looked upon Hades’ features. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“I’m just very happy to be here with you right now at this time regardless of what the future may be.”

Dionysus smiled and started to laugh harder as the contagiousness of his happiness flowed through his soul and poured into Hades, who had no option but to join in the laughter at that point. 

 Neither of them knew what was to happen next. They did not know whether they would end up on the convocation of the fourteen or what sort of ramifications that would have. Nor did they stop to wonder if Amaurot would always continue on the way that it has. If they knew what the future truly had in store for them and the consequence of each other’s actions, would they have continued the path they set forth for themselves?

Chapter Text

Lyhia took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp morning air. This is one of the many reasons she had let Hunter convince her to move out to the middle of nowhere country in the first place. She was going to miss the view from their front porch while she was gone. The flowers blooming out in the fields, the forest off in the distance protecting them from monsters and men alike. Lyhia allowed herself a sad smile as she took a step forward. 

A hand gripped her own and she was pulled backwards that one step. Turning, she saw Hunter sitting in her favorite chair by the door. Lyhia should have known her wife would not let her slip out so easily. She let out a small laugh and allowed herself to get pulled all the way into Hunter’s lap. 

“You know, they will leave without me” Lyhia spoke as she brushed a lock of hair behind one of Hunter’s pointed ears. 

“Then let them,” Hunter replied, “You are technically retired from the hero business.” 

Lyhia pressed her forehead against her wife’s and took a moment to breathe in the homely scent that came off her skin, “I know but our star is decaying. They’re saying the aether has become imbalanced. As the Warrior of Light it is my duty to help restore it, retired or not. I have to go.” 

“And what would happen if I tell them you’re grounded,” Hunter pressed her lips to Lyhia’s. 

Lyhia snorted through the kiss and then pulled back just enough so she could speak, “I’m certain they would just come looking for me. You know how these men can get.” 

“Aye, aye. I recall when you first announced your retirement. Oh the proclamations, the complaints, the begging and pleading for you not to go. It was truly embarrassing.” 

“It’s true,” Lyhia rested her head on the crook of Hunter’s neck, “But hey we had a good couple of years in retirement, wouldn’t you say?”

“Two years does not count as retiring,” Hunter scoffed.

“Did you really expect me to sit still for much longer?” Lyhia pushed herself up right, hands resting on the other’s shoulders, “You fell in love with an adventurer. That’s on you.”

“If I had known back then that said adventurer would be such a stubborn pain in the ass I would never have agreed to join her party,” Hunter said with a smirk. 

Lyhia flicked her hair over her shoulder and grinned, “Oh don’t lie, you couldn’t resist these charms even if you tried.” 

Hunter shoved Lyhia off her lap and Lyhia, for her part, managed to land gracefully on her feet, head thrown back in a hearty laugh that echoed across their fields. 

“Oh get on, get out of here with that,” Hunter shooed, “If you’re gonna be smug you might as well go on your little world saving trip and leave it behind when you get there.”

Lyhia leaned down and kissed Hunter’s pout, turning it into a smile, before straightening out her armor and heading back towards the steps. 

“The sooner I leave the sooner I can return to you my love,” Lyhia grabbed her lance and strapped it to her back.

“Sure you don’t want to leave me a token behind as a promise to go with that cheesy line?” Hunter leaned back in her chair, eyes not leaving the other. 

Lyhia pondered that thought for a moment and then reached into her armor and pulled out a bandana from her sleeve. She tossed it to Hunter, who took one look at the sweaty thing and dropped it. 

“I promise I will return home,” Lyhia called out as she leapt off the porch and out into the wilderness. 

“You better!” Hunter yelled out at her retreating back. 

A few weeks later that beautiful field with the flowers and the forest was nothing but death and decay as the poison that was eating the star overtook it. The little cottage that they had shared had turned to ash with nothing left to remember the couple who had lived there. The aether of the star had not been able to be balanced and it tipped over into the extreme. Within almost an instant all life had been snuffed out as the Source began to reabsorb the remainder.

---

What is destiny or fate when the world won’t even acknowledge your existence? How is a child supposed to learn that there is a greater calling or a world outside their city when they are forced to beg to survive?

Rhak never knew where he came from. Never knew how he got to the large city. Never understood why he was forced to beg and starve while others did not. Whatever Gods there were had decided to play a cruel game with his life and by the age of 8 he had all but abandoned them. His more pressing problems were the here and now. 

For right here and right now he was huddled up against an alley wall trying to steal what little warmth he could from the bricks. It was late into the night but he couldn’t sleep. The hunger gnawing at him was too much and kept him awake and conscious. His long ears pricked up as he heard laughter and the sound of footsteps come his way. He reached up and grabbed his hood, pulling it low over his face to shadow him where he sat. Trying to hide so that those who passed by would not be inclined to stop and bother him. 

One thing he had learned the hard way is that for one reason or another people did not like him. They pulled at his ears, poked at his nose, yanked at the ball of fluff on his backside they called a tail. Apparently ‘his kind’ weren’t welcome in the city and Rhak had been on the receiving end of more than one beating just for having the audacity to exist. It’s not like he had been chosen to be born this way. 

He shivered and pulled his cloak around him closer. Rain droplets started to fall at his feet and out on the street. Over the course of the night they would slowly turn into snowflakes that would pile up on the sidewalk. 

“Strange,” he thought to himself as he watched the rain fall. 

Rhak could have sworn they had been in the mid-summer months where he should have been trying to find places to cool off rather than warm up. But it was very hard to keep track of those things without access to the proper news outlets. 

If Rhak did have access to a constant news source he would have learned that the rain and the snow was strange indeed. For they were definitely supposed to be in the hotter months of the year and yet it turned out to be the coldest weather this city had seen in centuries. And it wasn’t located to just Rhak’s city, either, the entire star was cooling off and plenty of towns were reporting a sudden drop in temperature. 

For Rhak, it really didn’t change much of his day to day. When morning came, after the city folks plowed snow off the roads and into his alley, he would head out to his normal corner and sit with his normal bowl asking for food, money, anything anyone would offer. He would make sure to keep his head down, ears hidden, tail stuffed into his pants, and not make sudden eye contact with anyone. He would sit in the snow and wait for someone’s kindness to get him through the next day or week if he was lucky. 

At one point, while he waited on the corner, Rhak ended up breaking his own rules. For a peculiarly dressed person had stopped by his bowl and dropped a handful of coins into it. Rhak couldn’t help himself, he had to see the person’s face, to thank them or find out who would wear such a heavy dark cloak with those very detailed designs on it, he wasn’t quite sure. What met him wasn’t a face at all but a red mask that almost seemed to glow as the snow fell all around them. Rhak blinked and the masked person smirked at him. 

“Ah, so this is where you have been all this time,” they said in a smooth voice, “No matter, all your suffering will be over soon little one.” 

Rhak had no clue what to make of that but he uttered a small “thank you” and reached to pocket the coins before anyone could try to take them from him. The masked person laughed and then continued to shuffle along the street leaving Rhak to his begging. 

A few weeks after that encounter the entire city froze over, the star itself soon to follow. Millions of lives snuffed out in almost an instant as the aetherial balance of the star was tipped beyond repair and the Source began the reabsorption process. Rhak never did get to learn his destiny. Never got to learn of Warriors of Light or saving the world. No, his story died before it began on the streets of a city doomed to ice.

Chapter Text

Blood splattered across Ilugei’s scales as the beast fell at his feet. The hot liquid dripped down his face as he turned to the next monster in their path. It had been like this for days. Monster after bloody monster attacking cities and towns and villages. There was no end to them and Ilugei was only one person. His party had been spread thin across the star answering calls for help every which way they looked but they were so very outnumbered. 

His chakrams dropped into the dirt as Ilugei collapsed to one knee. He was exhausted. The bodies of his foes surrounded him and sweat mixed with blood on his brow. How much longer could he fight like this? Even he, the Warrior of Light, had his limits. Boundless though his strength may seem he was not the immortal god people seemed to think he was. That was when two armored boots came into his view. Ilugei scowled, he knew those boots. 

Ilugei looked up at the owner of said boots and a dark red mask looked back down at him. 

“You seem to be at the edge of your strength,” the rough voice drawled with a smile. 

“You bastard! You did this! You set these fiends on us!” Ilugei grabbed his chakrams and launched himself at the robed man only to land in the dirt a few feet away having flung through nothing but air.

“Tut tut tut,” the man said from behind Ilugei, “You should know better than that by now. Or have my monsters rattled your brains as well?” 

Ilugei spun on his heels and tossed his chakrams one after the other at the man only for him to dissipate once more and appear at Ilugei’s side.

“I will end you!” He shouted and turned to punch the figure, once again hitting air.

“This is becoming tiresome,” the man stated, “You’re going nowhere fast with these beasts. If you truly wanted to stop me you should have done so when I first approached you years ago. Now look at this world,” the man gestured up to the sky which had been dark for moons, no stars, no sun, nothing, just pitch black ink, “We have already won and soon your world will fall like the others. Just another piece of the puzzle for our lord to be reborn.” 

The masked man disappeared again with a laugh and Ilugei roared into the nothingness that was left behind him. Another beast appeared at his shoulder and he quickly slit its throat and let it fall to the ground as he fixated upon the place the man once was. Ilugei threw his shoulders back and turned his head to the darkened skies and let out a terrifying roar that shook the lands around him before collapsing once more to the ground. 

His emotions spent, tears began to fall. 

“How could I let this happen?” He pounded a fist into the dirt turned mud, “I was supposed to be the hero, the one to save our Star….” Another shout into the air, this time alerting a beast to his presence. 

Ilugei stood and grabbed his weapons. He might be tired but the fight must go on.

“As long as I breathe I will find a way to end this,” he muttered and then shouted,” DO YOU HEAR ME! AS LONG AS I LIVE I WILL FIND A WAY TO PUT A STOP TO YOU!” 

Ilugei could have sworn he heard a chuckle on the breeze that passed by him. His tail whipped quickly back and forth in agitation but he didn’t have time to stop and think about it. The beast was upon him and he must protect this world. 

 The fight would go on for days. Never ending. Ilugei would get word of his party falling one by one as time went on and still he fought. He fought until the darkness from the sky rained down onto the earth below. He fought until he could not see past his arms. He fought until the black choked him and swallowed him whole. He fought until the end of his star. Another destiny cut short. Another star snuffed out. Another life. Another story.
    ---

Bloom laughed as she fell to the ground next to her sparring partner. It was another beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the grass felt clean on her skin. It had been a long time since this Roe had been able to just relax and have a good fight. Bloom rolled onto her side to look at the other who was catching their breath beside her. 

“What’s that make it 22 and 0?” Bloom laughed. 

The small Miqo’te let out an exasperated sigh and threw an arm over her eyes, “You are cheating I know. Using those warrior of light powers of yours.”

Bloom placed a hand to her chest and gasped, “I would never! I think you have just been slacking in your training.” 

The other snorted out a laugh and Bloom rolled back onto to back to stare at the blue skies above them. They had been sparring since morning and it had been amazing. When was the last time she had been able to spend a day to herself like this? To be able to just hang out with friends and breathe in the fresh air? No new crisis, no new fights, no new end of the world she had to stop. It was perfect. Too perfect.

Bloom squinted at the clouds above her. The outlines of which were not registering in her vision. She turned her head to hear the bird songs better, the same notes playing on repeat. She ran a hand across the grass below her, she could not feel the blades touching her palms. Something here wasn’t right….

Bloom sat up with a start, sucking in a deep breath of air as she came too. Ash choked her lungs and her eyes burned as it took in the scene of fire around her. Of course that had been a dream. When was the last time the world had looked that green? No. They had known nothing but fire for moons, possibly years. Bloom reached for her knuckles that had clattered nearby when she was knocked unconscious. 

No, she was in the middle of a fight. There was a man in a robe. She remembered him. They had been fighting tooth and nail over the future of this star. Where did he go? Bloom pulled herself up to her feet and caught herself as her head spun. She must have been hit hard. Mostly likely concussed. She couldn’t let that stop her. She needed to fight to get that perfect day back. This was her star. 

Bloom stumbled through the ash and burning buildings. She propped herself up on the remnants of someone’s house as she fought to catch her breath. A sharp pain through her chest. Damn it, broken ribs most likely. She took a step forward and her leg gave out under her with a crack. Fuck. She was in no state to be fighting but she must. She must find that robed bastard. She tried to stand once more but found her body unresponsive, so she began to crawl. 

Dragging her body through the dirt and the soot, Bloom looked for signs of life. Any survivors. There were none. Fuck, shit, damn…she threw out every curse she knew. How could she have let this happen? 

Something snagged on her arm and kept her from crawling forward. Bloom turned to pull away from it only to see that it was the small hand of a Miqo’te. She closed her eyes. No, she wouldn’t let her friend’s face be blotted out by this. She would always remember them as they were. Not the burnt corpse they had become. Bloom tugged her arm away and continued her crawl. 

And she crawled to the end of her star. For she was the lone survivor of the calamity. Fire had engulfed the world while she was out, killing and destroying everything in sight. The robed man had made sure that not a single creature remained as the aether tipped and the balance fluctuated in his favor. He floated in the air above the town and watched as the so-called hero dragged herself to her own end. Because it wouldn’t be long now before this star, too, rejoined with the Source.