Chapter Text
The soft hum of crystal rippled through the air, its currents reminiscent of threads as they moved before his “sight”. They folded and danced to his touch, lighting the way as hesitant steps navigated the shallow stairs.
They reached outwards as his staff gently tapped the ground; at his unspoken command the aether shifted as the ceiling opened to the night sky and the brilliance of the stars. They whispered of things yet to come, of that which has passed as well as the here and now.
He listened.
He comes, He comes
A flame to which others flock for warmth. His brilliance lights the path to a hopeful future.
They giggled and danced around him, unseen fingers gently pulling at his robe and hood as his own gripped the staff in his hands.
Others started to join the chorus of voices.
Thy path being to divert?
Yet danger is upon thy chosen course. A darkness lingers upon the edge as it reaches out for thou and 'em.
Several millennia has it festered and dwelled upon its pain and sorrow…Its regret everlasting
It would soon turn the world over the edge into the abyss.
To break the chains that hold Him back, the everlasting Light is needed
But has the Chosen One not come to cleave the heavens?
His path is broken...he may be savior...or monster...
The voices fell silent for a moment before one allowed a soft whisper in his ear:
Shall thou forsooth see this path to its end? Or are thy eyes still clouded to what is beyond?
He let a bit of his mask fall at those words as he reached up to caress the sheen of crystal upon his face. Clouded indeed, oh the irony of those words, but...he inhaled and reached out to touch the surface of the mirror.
Dark as his sight may be, he had seen the light.
And the person who cradled it within their hands had, at long last, answered his Call. Even if it meant his own end, he would see their flame survive and thrive. To burn brighter then it had in centuries.
“I would and I will…” The voices fell silent as the mirror showed the lands beyond the Crystarium. It showed the ever-burning skies, the vast forests of green and violet, the ancient buildings that spoke of a forgotten past to which the Flood sought to erase.
The Sin Eaters that haunted every blind spot and shadow in those woods.
The figure that walked the path to the tower, his brilliant scarlet eyes wide as disbelief and hope waged war on his face. At this, he smiled.
In his heart, an ancient spirit stirred as its mighty wings enveloped him. The Tower fair sang with strength at this awakening of power.
So thou hast made thy choice then??
“...Yes”
A soft rumble as the aether shifted, the silhouette of a dragon emerging from the clouded haze that surrounded him. “Wot that we shall stand by and protect thou both, whatever thy choice may be. Yet never forget that we shall not suffer the minions of darkness to steal thy spirits aroint again.” At these words, the aether flickered as the memory of fire and fallen ages were fueled by the beings' call.
An anger and betrayal kindled by a slumber of five millennia, tempered only by the summoner to who he was bound.
“I know…” With a wave of his hand, the robed being cast away the image and stars. His world fell silent and dark once more as the soft hum of the Tower faded to the background. Yet hope and faith burned onwards as the ancient presence faded back into the folds of his heart.
The hope that burned away two hundred years of grief after waking in a broken world.
The faith that allowed him to bind himself to their home and live unshackled by mortal limits.
Yet…
He thought back to the person coming towards his home as his hood shadowed his face from the world.
“I wonder, after all this time...after all that’s happened…”
A hand touched the cool surface of the crystal form as he turned to leave and greet their visitor, pausing briefly before the door of the Ocular.
“Will you remember me?”
A smile as he touched the teleportation crystal; its magic carrying him down to the base of the Sycrus Tower as the memories came flooding back.
“Raha?”