Chapter Text
Gasping for air had become a common feeling for Eleven. As his head breached the surface, his limbs flailed to try and keep his head above water. He ended up in a friendly fisherman’s boat, and as soon as he was situated he couldn’t hold in the hysterics any longer.
He rested his head in his hands and let the tears fall, the sobs shake. Rain poured down from above, almost as if the sky was crying along with him.
As they rowed closer to shore, Eleven could already see that the world he knew before Yggdrasil fell was long gone. He was lucky to have found a good Samaritan even in times such as these, and it took everything in him not to spew endless apologies to this stranger.
All of the horrible things that had come to pass were his fault, and the guilt he felt was soul crushing. He had failed to stop Jasper and in turn Mordegon had killed Yggdrasil and plunged the world into darkness. All because he wasn’t strong enough.
Whatever fate his companions had met - and after seeing the state of the world he wasn’t optimistic - was also his fault. That realization hit him so hard he had to put a hand on his chest to make sure he was still breathing. He stared up at the ceiling of the oceanside hut and let his mind continue to spiral, anxiety and grief gripping at his throat. He eventually fell asleep, but if it was from mental or physical exhaustion, he’d never know.
Eleven opened his eyes for the first time in what felt like forever. His head was pounding and his chest felt achingly hollow. He sat up, put his feet on the floor, and gathered what little of his belongings remained. The events of the past 24 hours came rushing back all at once, and he suddenly remembered that he was completely alone. It took everything in him not to sink to the floor and lose it all over again.
He hadn’t been alone since the very beginning of his journey, since before meeting him. He had no idea where Erik was, or if he was even alive.
Fear gripped his heart as fresh tears streamed down his face. He cried for all of his friends, hoping that they were okay, and had found whatever refuge they could. He couldn’t bear to think of the alternative.
He looked around at what had become of Erdrea, and it made his ever-mounting self loathing deepen. He was glad his power was gone, he didn't deserve it.
The last thing he heard before the fall was Erik begging him to get up. He shook his head, trying to banish the memory. He swiped his sleeve over his eyes one last time and thanked his host graciously before heading off to what was now called the Last Bastion. It was one of humanity’s last strongholds against the darkness, and it would be a good place for him to start making his amends.
As Eleven made his way over to where Blue John had so kindly directed him, he made a brief stop at Cobblestone Falls. He knelt down next to the water and stared at his reflection. The purple, swirling sky as a backdrop made his stomach churn.
“Grandad, I’m so sorry. Everything fell apart so fast and I don’t know how to fix it.” He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes to stop the fresh tears, but it was no use. He sat at the edge of the water for what seemed like hours, just begging for forgiveness from whatever deity may be listening. Whatever deity was even left.
Once he was able to think clearly again, he stood and took a few deep breaths for composure. He nodded once at his reflection, making peace with it. He may not know how to fix what had happened right this moment, but the least he could do was begin to track down his lost companions and begin to try. They were what made him strong, what made him believe in his abilities. Being suddenly alone made El feel hollow, a strong gust of wind away from breaking down.
When he finally arrived at the Bastion, it took him a few moments to take in what had become of his old hometown. It looked much different from the last time he’d seen it reduced to rubble. There were gates and fortified walls around the sections of town, protecting it from the new dangers of the outside world. He was glad to see it in some sort of repair, but the situation still wasn’t ideal. It looked like a war camp. His heart lurched as a familiar face came into view.
Relief flooded through his mind for the first time that day as Gemma came running at him with tears in her eyes. He caught her as she flung herself into his waiting embrace. A small comfort in otherwise desolate circumstances.
“You’re back, you’re alive! Everyone is going to be so happy to see you!” She exclaimed, tears beginning to stain his sleeve.
He did his best to force a smile, but Gemma saw right through it. She’d known him his whole life, and had seen the gambit of emotions from El. She gave him a small, pitying smile and lead him over to meet his mother and the other villagers, hoping that seeing more familiar faces would bring some sort of solace.
After the heartfelt reunions and an odd conversation with the now unpossessed King, Eleven found a crate behind his mother’s tent and slumped down. Gemma sat down next to him, leaning forward.
“Are you alright? You seem quieter than usual, and that’s hard to notice coming from you,” she joked, nudging his arm with her own.
Eleven shook his head wordlessly.
“Oh, don’t get all mopey on me! I was only joking. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I’m sure you’ve been through more than enough.” She held her arms out, offering a warm embrace.
He accepted and leaned into her arms, letting himself relax for the first time since the fall. All of the emotion he'd been holding in the last day washed over him, silent tears rolling down his cheeks. Gemma gently patted his back, waiting for him to speak.
"I lost him. I lost all of them," he choked out after a few minutes.
It took her a moment to understand what he meant. "Him?" She asked. "Did you make friends on your journey? What happened to them?"
She never had the chance to meet any of the friends Eleven had made while he was gone. Being locked away in Heliodor's dungeons didn't offer the opportunity for much social interaction with the outside world.
She didn't understand, she never would, and that was okay. He needed a friend right now more than anything. Luckily Gemma was one of the best.
“I don’t know. I woke up alone after the fall." He folded and unfolded his hands in his lap. "It was all my fault, Gemma. I wasn’t strong enough.”
Gemma looked at him like he was a wounded animal, empathy alight in her eyes. “You can’t place all of the blame on yourself. You’re only one person, Luminary or not." She grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. They sat like that for a few quiet moments before she spoke up again.
"I’m sure they've all found a safe place. Are you going to go out looking for them?”
El nodded slowly, determined. “That, and the whole saving the world thing. There’s no point in trying to find anyone if everyone and everything is dead,” he said dryly, a small smirk forming. "I'm glad you and Mum are alright. I owe Hendrik a huge thank you."
Those were words he’d never thought he’d find himself saying. He’d found out from the king that Hendrik had saved the townspeople from a most certain death by Jasper’s hands all those months ago.
After Hendrik discovered Jasper and the King were under Mordegon’s control, immense guilt weighed on his heart. He was loyal to a literal fault, and when he woke up after the fall he did everything he could to try and make it right. He’d fought his way across Heliodor, saving as many people as he could along the way and bringing them safely to the Bastion. As many as he did save, there were many he could not, and those nightmares haunted him regularly.
The appearance of the Luminary from seemingly nowhere was a welcomed and concerning sight. He was alone. Hendrik knew he traveled with an ever growing group, but he was most surprised by the absence of the thief. He assumed the absence was not by choice, and by the look on Eleven’s face when they joined forces before the battle, his assumption was right.
It was certainly strange for Eleven, fighting alongside Hendrik on the battlefield, but they soon fell into a comfortable rhythm that drove them to victory. Hendrik drove a line straight through the enemy forces with brute strength and ruthlessness, Eleven fighting off anyone that tried to close them in from the rear.
They had both saved each other’s hides, and that was more than enough for Hendrik to accept Eleven as a worthy companion. There was no doubt in his mind that he truly was the Luminary, and he made it his mission to atone for his previous behavior by doing whatever he could to make sure Eleven’s destiny was fulfilled.
The Bastion was safe for the time being, and they had a bigger mission ahead of them. Before they set off to confront the monster that had taken residence in Heliodor’s castle, Hendrik pulled Eleven aside.
“I want to officially apologize for everything I have done. You are not the Darkspawn, you are our last hope, Luminary,” he said, bowing. Eleven rested his hand on Hendrik’s shoulder, and motioned for him to stand.
“Thank you, Hendrik, I really appreciate it. You didn’t know about Mordegon or Jasper. But can you not call me 'The Last Hope’? I feel like I’ve already failed humanity enough,” he said, shoulders slumping.
Hendrik looked almost sympathetic before his own grief flashed across his features. He blamed himself for not noticing Jasper’s turn, and he imagined he’d be carrying that for the rest of his days. Or at least until he could be confronted. He snapped out of his own thoughts to offer Eleven a handshake.
“You may feel like you have failed,” Hendrik took a moment to swallow the lump that had appeared in his throat, his own failures still very fresh on his mind. "But you have been given a rare second chance to make it right.”
Erik woke up on the shores of Puerto Valor, the smell of ash and burning filling his lungs. He coughed out some sea water and sat up, looking out over the ocean. Things had gone from bad to worse very quickly, but the ocean brought a constant calm.
“Hey, are you alright out there?” a voice called out. Erik looked over and nodded slowly, unsure.
“Yeah, I think so.” He called back. The voice belonged to a local fisherman. He looked Erik over, noticing he was clearly not from the area.
“Is there somewhere you belong, son? What’s your name?” He said, walking over and extending an arm to help him up. He looked up, bewilderment clouding his mind.
“I...I don’t know. All I can remember is waking up on this beach. My name is Erik. Yeah. That sounds right,” he said nervously. His left hand twitched at his side, reaching for something that wasn’t there. He slowly lowered it back down, not understanding the reflex.
"Well Erik, if you don't mind, we could really use some help cleaning up around here."
As soon as they had arrived at the old church south of Heliodor, El made a beeline for the back room. He threw the door open, his shoulders going slack when it was empty. Of course it was empty, why would he expect anything more? He sat on the edge of the bed and rested his head in his hands as a vivid memory flashed through his mind.
Past - Church in the Foothills
El awoke to a somewhat familiar voice.
“C’mon, up ya get!” Erik said with a hint of teasing. He was quickly falling into comfort around his new companion, which surprised him. He was normally slow to trust. Jumping to almost imminent death together must have sidestepped that phase of their friendship entirely.
El slowly opened his eyes as they adjusted to the new surroundings. He sighed in relief when he saw Erik sitting awkwardly in a chair scooted next to his bed. How long had he been out? Erik leaned in and brushed the back of his hand against El’s forehead, checking his temperature. El startled a little at the touch.
“Well, seems like you’re in fighting shape, what do you say we get out of here?” he said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder.
El nodded in agreement, smiling. He was quickly realizing he’d follow Erik quite literally anywhere.
They thanked the nun that had allowed them to use the church’s spare room and headed outside to form a game plan. Erik began describing their next destination, Downtown Heliodor, in detail. He’d been there many a time over the course of his thieving career, and he wanted to make sure that El knew what to expect. It was a far cry from the quiet country he was used to.
El swore he was listening to what Erik was saying, but if someone had asked him to repeat it back, he wouldn’t have had a clue. Something about going back into Heliodor for an Orb, blah blah, Cobblestone, blah Gods, his eyes are so pretty.
El blinked himself back to reality, Erik was grinning at him, holding out a hood.
“Put that on, hopefully it’ll disguise you enough to avoid questions.” Although it is a shame to hide those eyes, he thought. Erik had quickly become fond of the way El looked at everything new, wide-eyed and full of wonder.
El gave him a thumbs up after tying the strings at his throat.
“Ready when you are.”
Present - Church in the Foothills
El let out a heavy sigh as he fought back the tears. Going back to all of the places that he and Erik had begun their journey nearly a year ago tugged uncomfortably at his heart. He took a few deep breaths, and almost jumped out of his skin when Hendrik pushed the door open.
“Are you ready? We should get moving. Every moment we wait is another the Bastion could fall.”
El nodded curtly, standing up without looking back at the empty room. What was the use of finding Erik if the world was in shambles? He had to fight back the darkness one step at a time, and hopefully begin to see the light.
The battle at Heliodor Castle had been brutal, with some ghosts from Hendrik’s past coming to light thanks to a strangely placed Yggdrasil root. Eleven had felt almost intrusive seeing Hendrik and Jasper’s past, their childhood memories growing up together. But seeing those moments helped Eleven realize that he was not the only one who had lost a companion. He had a newfound empathy for Hendrik, realizing he was searching for some closure as well.
After the battle was won, Eleven and Hendrik began to make their way back to the Bastion to announce their victory. They had banished the evil that had taken over the castle, the sun was once again shining, and things in the Heliodorian region looked a little less desolate. Almost back to how it was before, except for the still smouldering craters, more vicious monsters, and obvious signs of destruction.
They passed a field that looked mostly unburned, and Eleven wordlessly turned and walked out into the middle and fell backwards, staring up at the sky. Hendrik followed and looked up as well, admiring the sun.
"It’s funny how much you take things like the sky for granted. I'm glad the sun is back," El said, letting the sunlight warm his face.
Hendrik made a sound of approval. "That is very true. I'm glad it has returned as well." He looked down at El lying back peacefully, feeling guilty for what he was about to ask. "Your other companions, have you heard anything of them?"
Past - The Emerald Coast
Erik threw himself back into the patch of wildflowers, folding his hands behind his head before settling his gaze on the sky. Eleven laid down next to him, watching the wind whip the clouds into a slow motion dance.
They had successfully retrieved the Red Orb, much to Erik’s pleasure. With the keystone in hand, their next destination was the Door of Departure. El had no idea what was on the other side of the mystical door, or what they’d have to face, but with Erik by his side he was confident in their odds.
"That one looks like a bird," he said, pointing upward. El contemplated, then pointed out another.
"That one looks like a shark."
Erik snorted. "Have you ever seen a shark before?"
El stuck out his tongue. "I've seen plenty of sharks. Where's your imagination?"
"Must have left it at home," Erik replied. He always had a quick witted answer to everything, another thing to add to the quickly growing list of things El admired in Erik.
His hand twitched at his side, fighting the urge to grab the other boy's hand. They'd only known each other for the better part of a week, but his crush was growing quicker than he knew it could. He clenched and unclenched his hand instead, trying to keep his feelings in check. Erik turned to look at him with shining blue eyes, making that much more difficult.
"Do you mind if I keep tagging along with you? Feel free to kick me to the curb anytime, but I should warn you - the more time you spend with me, the more you're gonna want to keep me around. I grow on people, like a fungus." He grinned. El quickly realized he wouldn’t mind seeing that grin every day for the rest of forever.
Eleven did everything he could to not to break out in a full blush. After a few heavy moments of silence, he found his voice. "I would like that. Fungus and all."
Erik held out his hand and this time Eleven did grab it in a firm handshake.
"Partners."
Present - Heliodorian Highlands
Eleven opened his eyes and shook his head slowly, willing the tears back.
"No, I have no idea where they are, or if they're even alive," he said, his composure beginning to slip on the last word.
Hendrik crossed his arm over his chest, making a fist over his heart. "Then I swear to be your sword and shield, your protector. We will go out and find them, then we will take down this Dark Lord," he said, chest puffed out and chin held high. Eleven almost giggled at the fanfare of it all, but he realized this was Hendrik's way, and he truly meant it. His chest swelled, a moment of happiness.
"Thank you, Hendrik."
"It's the least I can do after I falsely hunted you and your friends across the world," he scoffed.
Eleven shook his head, dismissing the thought. "That's in the past. Mordegon was using you. I don't blame you for any of it. I know you’re a good person, Hendrik."
Hendrik gave the ghost of a smile, accepting the offer.
Eleven fought down the bittersweet deja vu churning in his stomach. He was happy to no longer be alone, but it wasn’t the same.
Erik was out there somewhere, and he would traverse the entire continent to find him.