Chapter Text
The gunshot rings through the air, silencing everyone. G'raha just stares at Hottataru, his eyes round and probing- how? How could this have gone wrong? His staff drops with a clatter, and soon after he follows. Behind him, Emet-Selch stands triumphant, the endless light of the sky shining on him and making him seem much more radiant than he was.
No! Hottataru can’t even yell, the light surging in his throat- he was trying very hard to not puke. Though, with the horror of the situation, combined with the fact he was terrified for his life, it was rather hard. That was his last chance to live through this- G’raha was supposed to save him. Even if Hottataru didn’t want him to sacrifice himself… He also very, very much didn’t want to die. He didn't want anyone to die.
“Oh, you’ve really disappointed me you know. My expectations for you were so high, Hottataru. But it’s clear that even my lowest standard was a bar that not even the paragon of your people could meet.” Emet drawls, stalking forward and planting a foot on the wounded exarch’s back. Everyone can hear a soft groan from the downed man.
He was still alive. For now, Hottataru can’t help but think, his glare leveling on Emet-Selch. Hate boils to the surface, feeling as old as sin itself.
Bastard. Complete, fucking bastard.
“That’s quite the glare you’re giving me, Warrior. Careful, not not feeling very forgiving right now, we don’t want anything happening to your dear Exarch.” Emet tuts, starting towards Hottataru with a smirk etched onto his lips. Oh, he was dripping with smug, it oozed off his every movement and poisoned the air around them.
There was too much happening, everyone scattered as to what to do. There were too many people that needed saving, all of them critical to the survival of this star-
“What do you plan to do, Emet-Selch? Was this your idea all along?” Thancred hisses out, fingers itching to reach for his gunblade- but he’s afraid to move. Everyone is. It felt like they were all pawns in a chess game with Emet as the player.
“I was worried the fool might try something. And my worries were well placed. To think he almost liberated you of your own failings. He would have really put a wrench in my plans if I were to let him go through with it.” Emet sighs, sounding tired as he moves to squat in front of Hottataru. Though he could hear everyone yelling, it was muffled. All his attention was focused on Emet-Selch, who just goes on grinning at him. It’s his voice he can hear more clearly than anyone else's. The voice that can make his blood boil despite the fear in his veins.
“And then there’s you. Well, at least you won’t disappoint me in this regard. Soon, the light will overwhelm you, and you’ll be nothing more than a beast wanting for the aether of the living. More powerful than any that came before you. Unstoppable, even, I’d imagine. The calamity you’ll usher in will be like no other. To think, what Vauthry was to bring with bliss, you’ll bring with despair! What a sweet irony.” He purrs, leaning in closer to Hottataru, “And it’ll start here, with your friends. You’ll have to kill them, or they’ll kill you, you know. And even then, if they survive, they’ll just become sin-eaters themselves. A fitting fate, for ones who were so adamant about walking in Her light.”
The cracking of Hottataru's very soul is audible in his skull, but so is the blood pounding in his ears. There’s no denying it. That’s definitely what would happen if he were to succumb. But there had to be a way. A way to fight it. A way to push past. He’d gone the extra yalm so many damn times before, and he refused to finally falter here.
What could he do though? What could he do? Whatcouldhedowhatcouldhedo-
For a second, Hottataru feels his soul in all its glory, confined within the boundaries of his flesh. Images come to him, of primals he’s slain, of the echo, of Zenos embracing a power beyond himself. He hears Master Matoya explaining how Y’shtola’s sight worked by manipulating her very life aether itself. Sees the spear that he used to break Igeyorhm using Nidhogg’s eye.
An idea forms, and he embraces it because he refuses to be laid low.
Gathering all that over-abundant light aether, Hottataru hones it. Emet-Selch can sense something odd, but he just cocks his head, curious to see how Hottataru will fail now. He underestimates him.
“Emet-Selch.” Hottataru rasps, eyes glowing as the light itself permeates through his very being, “If you think I’ll fall today, you’re more of a fool than any of us. ”
He laughs and surges forward with a burst of strength fed from the aether trapped in him. It was killing him as much as it was fueling him. Emet grunts in surprise, and Hottataru can feel something- his soul- probing for an out. But no, he’s not going to get away. The light blooms around them and traps them both in a cage that there’s no escaping.
“What are you doing, you-” Emet starts, but Hottataru headbutts him and covers his mouth, staring into Emet’s eyes with a savage expression as he lashes out with his very being. Emet had talked about how puny and insignificant they were to him, but only now did Hottataru truly feel it.
“Hottataru, what on Hydaelyn are you doing?” Y’shtola barks, her eyes round, stunned. Everyone was. But she was stunned by what she could see, as was Ryne, who could only hope to process what was happening.
Because, from here, it looked like his fracturing soul was…. Pushing against Emet-Selch’s, seizing it with teeth and trying to do something. Like they were trying to fuse.
Finally, Emet breaks from the hand covering him, and he snarls, panting and clawing at Hottataru’s back. When that doesn’t work, he punches him hard enough to have everyone wincing, but Hottataru just grins, expression wild.
“You know not what you do, mortal. Stop this, it will end poorly for everyone, you and I included!” Emet roars, sounding furious. Good. Hottataru didn’t want to be the only one mad. He seizes with his soul, gripping at the dark, shadow entombed one within Emet-Selch and twisting.
Memories pour into his skull, which felt like it would fracture under the weight of them. He sees everything Emet-Selch has talked about and more. Amaurot, the people who dwelled there, the end of their world and the summoning of Zodiark. Knowledge spills into his head that he’ll never have the intelligence to process in its fullness, but it gives him the nail he needs in the coffin. He leans forward and seals the deal with a kiss, making Emet-Selch let out a muffled yell at the mutual agony that rips through them, their souls connecting and spilling into one another.
Ryne cries out, covering her mouth in horror as Y’shtola only can stare, agog. Everyone just watches in utter confusion as the light…
Vanishes.
Darkness returns to the sky, and once more, the Warrior of Darkness… has won. But, what has he done? They won’t be able to ask for awhile, because both Emet-Selch and Hottataru pass out.
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The journey back to the Crystarium is rough to say the least. At first, the group tries to separate Hottataru and Emet- even trying to leave Emet-Selch behind at one point. But when Emet and Hottataru both groan in pain at the distance, Ryne tells them to stop or risk losing Hottataru altogether. They didn’t care about the Ascian, of course, but it looked like they had no choice but to bring him...
Somehow, everyone makes it back in one piece. Hottataru is neatly tucked away in the Pendants with Emet-Selch tied up in a chair nearby. Not that.. It’d… really stop the Ascian. But it’s the thought that counts, right? There were no physical wounds on Hottataru, so they could only leave the two to rest, and hope for something to change. For now, they'll need to focus on G'raha, who was doing less than stellar to say the least.
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“Hottataru…. Hottataru. Oh, for the love of the gods, wake up you bloody fool!” Ardbert hisses and Hottataru’s eyes snap open. He gasps, like he hadn’t been breathing since he passed out. Scrambling, he grasps at his chest where a throbbing thing sat knotted inside. There, there. He could feel it, the connection that’d he’d so crudely forged between him and Emet-Selch. Or should he say, Hades, if all these memories he’s been forced to swallow from the man are true. What an ugly name for an ugly man.
“Finally! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? About everything that’s happened? It’s been a bloody mess. I mean, not really, because of course you managed to save the day but everyone doesn’t know what to make of… of that.” He gestures vaguely between you and the still passed out Emet. Why did Hottataru wake up before him? It seemed like it should be the other way around, given how strong it felt like Emet-Selch’s soul was compared to his own.
Hottataru… didn’t really know what to make of it either. He just.. Did. And it worked. But now they were.. Connected? It was strange. He couldn’t read Emet-Selch’s mind, but he could read his memories. Knows what the man held dear, sees the secrets of Garlemald and the Ascian Covenant. Actually, it kind of felt a little like he was trespassing, so he pushes those thoughts away, scratching at his chin. He’d only done it to survive, he didn’t want anything else from the disgusting man.
“It feels like… you’re… one?” Ardbert tries to get any sort of answer from him, but Hottataru shakes his head. No, that wasn’t it. He could feel the blessing of light and Zodiark’s tempering battling against one another through the connection, even, just giving more proof that they were still separate but… but-
“It’s… we… run off the same engine? I think?” Hottataru tries to explain, his brows furrowing. That just gets an exasperated look from Ardbert. It was about as close to the truth he could get. Like, Hottataru knew, since the truth of the situation had been jackhammered into his fucking skull. But. He didn’t really… get it. Which meant they’d have to rely on Emet-Selch to explain.
Speaking of which, he could feel the ropes on Emet's tied up form, which was… needless to say… an odd feeling. So yeah, he’s going to take that off. He pushes to his feet and sets about doing just that, Ardbert just rubbing his face and looking awfully tired for someone already dead.
“This is more than a mess. Now we have to share a room with that guy too? I would really rather not. He’s- he’s the one who spurred my entire world on its course to DESTRUCTION! Hells, if I could, I’d.. I’d-” Ardbert chuffs, looking to Hottataru and watching as he carefully wraps up the ropes in a neat bind. He blinks blankly back at Ardbert, brows furrowed.
“I’d kill him, too.” Hottataru agrees easily, “Deserves it. He’s… genocidal. To say the very least.” Scratching behind his horn, he frowns for a long moment. In a single instant, he’d saved this world, himself, and the Exarch. But. Honestly. He didn’t know the cost yet? Maybe he should be more concerned, “But. I lived. And so did everyone else.” For a second there, he’d almost become this world’s demise rather than its savior. What a nightmare.
“I get that there’s a silver lining to every little situation in your mind but take a look at the fact that you’ve tied yourself to a godsdamned ASCIAN -” Ardbert is cut off by Emet-Selch groaning.
“Oh, please, do be quiet. It’s very, very hard to get any sleep with you going about and screaming in my ears. You’re rather loud, for a fragment of a soul barely clinging to this realm.” He grinds out, cracking his eyes and glowering at Ardbert. Both Ardbert and Hottataru are stunned to silence for a moment, watching Emet rub at his neck and pop his back with a groan.
“ He… He can hear me… ” He whispers, looking to Hottataru, who was just as equally boggled by the idea.
“Yes, I can. I can also see you. Oh, how lucky I am.” Emet growls, looking at his gloves and frowning deeply. They were a little dirty. In fact, he felt dirty all over. Covered in slime, slime that was… light. The excess light that was dumped into him when this idiot did the unthinkable.
It was genius, but, it was also… not done intentionally. So there was no way Emet would give Hottataru credit for the feat. It was the desperation of a dog backed into a corner that drove him to new heights.
“Yes, but- how? No one except for Hottataru has ever…” Ardbert stops at the look Emet levels on him, unamused.
“Oh, you’re just as dumb as him. It makes sense, given that you’re both reflections of the biggest idiot to ever exist.” He sighs, slouching back in his chair, “It should be obvious enough. Give it a second, I’ll wait.” And he does, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, but Ardbert can’t seem to process anything and just balks at him, “Oh, Zodiark, guide me. I walk a path not intended by you, and I need your strength.”
“...Melodramatic.” Hottataru murmurs, and that brings out the actual glare from Emet-Selch.
“Excuse me? I don’t want to hear anything from you. You have no idea what you’ve done you- you- half witted, braindead moron! ” Emet barks now, standing abruptly and stumbling for his effort. Hottataru unthinkingly catches him before he falls, but Emet rips himself away from the helping touch with a shove, “Do not presume you can touch me. I don’t need your aide, fool. Do you want to know what’s happened? Of course you do, there’s no way you can comprehend, even with the information sitting right there. You linked our souls together. We’re one person in two bodies now, practically. To think your soul even had the teeth to do such a thing- I guess I really did underestimate you. ”
Hottataru rubs his chin, contemplating that. Slowly, his expression sours, and he looks at Emet the same way a man would look at a dead rat.
“I.. don’t really want to be one person with you.” He licks his lips and Emet-Selch laughs.
“Oh! My! We’re of one mind there! Don’t worry, we’ll still remain entirely separate from one another in most ways. Mentally, being the most important one. I would rather die than let my vast intellect be poisoned by the stagnation that’s your brain. Do you know how many memories I have of yours that are just food related? Do you only think about fo- you’re thinking about it right now aren't you- ” Emet wanted to throttle Hottataru.
“...I’m hungry.” Hottataru says sheepishly, grimacing and looking at Ardbert, who was just covering his face and raging quietly beside him, “Um. It’s… well and good that.. We won’t fuse. At the very least.” Gods, he was really hungry actually, “How long has it been since the incident?”
“Half a week. Some of the Scions thought you wouldn’t wake up, they’d never seen you sleep for so long. You should probably go actually tell them you’re awake. I’m sure they’re all dying to know what in the hells is going on.” Ardbert sighs, letting his hands drop and looking between the two, “ I think I’m going to leave you two to yourselves. You seem like you need it.”
With that, Ardbert vanishes and Hottataru is left alone with the biggest dick-rag he’s ever had the displeasure of knowing.
“I wonder if they'll actually feed us, or fuss over us knowing that we're awake...” Hottataru murmurs, and Emet sinks his hands into his hair to stare at the floor. Oh, this was going to be awful. They both could feel that right now.
But they were alive, which was the most important thing of all.