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“So you have arrived.”
“Mmm. What did you want to talk to me about?”
The Warrior of Light walked through a field of flowers… most of them roses. Minwu was crouched down, observing some of them up close, until the warrior had arrived. He smiled and walked closer to him. They were both wearing white casual attire, as if they were trying to fit in another world that was not theirs. The Warrior of Light was wearing a long white coat over his smart casual outfit, primarily white. Minwu was wearing something all-white as well; it looked like something simple so he did not stand out, though he did look like a professor or something similar.
“Firstly, I wanted to discuss the terms of this world with you. As you can see… I could not sustain this physical form. And… it is what I fear. May we go somewhere private?” he said as he gestured to himself. His upper body looked normal, but his lower body… from his legs down, he looked like he was trying to exist, but can’t.
The Warrior took note of this detail and nodded, he summoned a crystal and looked back at him, as if to ask for his permission if this was really fine with him. Minwu nodded at him, and soon, they were teleported elsewhere. It was like a reflection of the place they were in, except it looked like a dreamy version of it with endless flower fields and nothing else in sight. Minwu took in the sight, his eyes reflecting what appeared to be… sentiment. Perhaps even wistfulness.
Before them was a field of roses, its rose petals gently drifting in the dreamy wind.
They walked together a little bit. The Warrior, taking note of his shift in emotions, stayed quiet. It was a comfortable silence, one that seemed to respect each other’s space. Minwu looked down at the roses by his feet and noted that one of them was but a small red bud. He crouched down and admired it, and it looked like it reminded him of something… or someone.
“I… I miss him, Warrior. I miss him very much. When we took him in the Rebel Army, he had lost everything… he was but a little rose that could not fully bloom in the agony of war, as had the rest of us.” Minwu said quietly, his voice quiet and slightly shaky. He could not help himself as he fondly remembered the warrior from his world. His eyes drifted to a white rose, far away from the rose bud… and it looked like it was losing its petals before its time. He closed his eyes in an attempt to compose himself.
The Warrior wanted to comfort him in any way he could, but he held himself back. He was clueless about what was going on. He did not want to interfere with whatever was going through the other man’s mind and heart, and so he simply stood there by his side as if to say, “I am here. I am still here.”
“Right. I am sorry… Warrior of Light, you have gone out of your way to meet with me outside of your busy schedule. I must not waste your time and effort.” Minwu said as he attempted to stand, but the Warrior merely crouched beside him, much to his surprise. He smiled at this and then opted to just observe the flowers with him.
“If anything ails you, I am here to listen. After all, I am a vessel of light… and the light must shine for those who need it the most.”
Minwu merely stared at him for this, and then he giggled. “Ah! I am sorry, I am not laughing at you. I just… I just…”
He looked away for a while, as if he could not articulate what was going through his mind at the moment. For a while, it stayed like this, until he was able to speak again as he gazed upon the roses.
“Warrior, could you please tell me about the new warriors that joined your ranks? How… how much do they remember?”
“They seem to remember a fair amount of their life. Perhaps not in full detail, but…” the Warrior paused and then looked back at him. “Is… is this about Firion?”
“…”
The name alone seemed to send a jolt of mixed emotions to Minwu, though he did appear composed. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself before speaking.
“It is. I see that you have learned of my association with him.”
“He did not remember any details, but I pieced it out eventually without telling him. If you are wondering how he is doing, he is under our care. He has been looking into growing flowers as a hobby.”
“A hobby…” Minwu smiled as he looked back at the red rosebud in front of him. “So it has been that peaceful in this new world?”
“… I would not call it ‘peaceful’, but I suppose you could say we have more moments of respite.”
“That is nice… our land was torn apart by war that we did not have any time to properly rest.” said Minwu, and then he looked back at the Warrior. The sadness in his eyes looked almost palpable, but the Warrior said nothing. “Such is our fate. Firion is likely not aware of parallel universes, but I am. I have seen visions of it… I was bewildered that he looked different in some of them. Well… I was different, too. Still. It was a treat to have seen so many Firions in far universes, and I wish I could have met them all.”
He could not help but giggle to himself again, recollecting the visions he had seen in the past. This was not how the Warrior imagined him to be. He had imagined the wise sage to be more serious, more ethereal, more… unapproachable, almost like a vessel of the gods himself. But this… it made him realise that Minwu was just like them, too. There was a different air to him, but it made it clear why others spoke so highly of him… at least, those who have already met Minwu in this world despite his difficulty to retain a corporeal form in it at the moment.
“What would you have done if you met all these different Firions?” the Warrior could not help but ride along the light mood.
“Nothing ulterior, mind you. It is as they say, ‘please get your mind out of the gutter’.” Minwu chuckled at this. “But I suppose my heart is just predisposed to care for him, no matter what.”
He just chuckled for a while as the Warrior smiled at him. They seem rather comfortable in each other’s presence, despite this being their first personal meeting. They had seen each other a couple of times in the past, but it was nothing personal; rather just something they had to do to maintain the stability in their strategies, while the other members like Firion were out to patrol for the crystals.
“Warrior… what do you think about ‘destiny’?”
“Destiny?”
They stayed silent for a while, in quite contemplation as the roses had a gentle dance in the wind.
“I believe in it. But I also believe that we are in charge of our own destinies.”
“That is right. Our destiny is ours and ours alone. We must each face our own, and by doing so set it in motion. Others can help, but it is up to the individual to act.”
“…”
“Destiny… has torn us time and time again.” Minwu stood up and looked up at the sky. None of this was in the real world; or at least, the world that they perceived was reality. This was a safe haven created by the crystals, a place where Minwu could materialise fully without the underlying threat of losing his corporeal form. “Warrior, I suppose I can tell you. I… I love Firion. Across all universes I have seen… we have loved each other, but we were never given the chance to confess it. Our destinies were closely entwined, and yet they could never meet. I knew it from the beginning, but I could not help myself from catching feelings. Such are human beings.”
“I…” the Warrior of Light had no words. This was a little too much to take in, even for him. He dared not interfere with the strong feelings emanating from the wise sage by his side.
“I am sorry. That was a lot to take in, was it not?” said Minwu with a dry chuckle, as if he was able to read his thoughts. He always did have a rather strong intuition that came with his prophetic skills.
“Not at all.” the Warrior said. It was partly a lie, but he truly did not mind. It was just that he did not want to make any wrong moves handling the other man’s emotions carelessly. “I think it is admirable that the love you two shared seems stronger than what destiny had imposed on you.”
“You think so?” Minwu asked, his voice soft. His eyes – wistful, sentimental, nostalgic – gazed upon the Warrior by his side, as if studying him. He stepped forward and seemed to scrutinise his face. “Hmmm… not bad-looking.”
“W-What??” the Warrior was taken aback by this sudden compliment, but he regained his composure and stood tall, regardless.
Minwu giggled, his playful side showing. One that he was rarely able to show because of the war-torn state his land was in, even as he died.
“Relax, I take no interest in you.” Minwu giggled at this as he walked along the rose fields. “Just that I am sure we are on the same page… has Firion really not said anything about me?”
“Umm…” the Warrior tagged along him, taking care not to step on any roses. “He talked about having allies, but I do not think he has ever told me their names yet. I would wager he remembers the feelings, but not the details themselves. However, he does get truly sad when something reminds him of those said feelings. I remember Cloud and Balthier trying to calm him down when he saw a brand named ‘Ultima’… something about it seemed to affect him deeply. He did not act violently, but he did break down in quiet tears… only Cloud, Balthier, and I knew of this. He begged us not to tell anyone, but…”
“It is fine. Thank you for telling me.” Minwu smiled at this, and then laid a hand on his own heart. “The Ultima Tome… because of it, my destiny was entwined closely with his, and yet was also torn apart from his. I had to die to summon the ultimate magic so that we could save the world from a beautiful, but evil, person’s twisted views. After all, he had grown so thirsty for conquest that he burnt villages down… including Firion’s.”
Now where has the Warrior heard of that before? Cloud mentioned something about a flower girl…
Minwu continued. “I once dreamed of wielding it with the Emperor so that the relations of Mysidia and Palamecia would be even closer and more powerful, but… it looks like that was not meant to be, either.”
“The Emperor…? Firion once spoke of an Emperor waging war on your lands… is that…?”
“The same one. He used to be my childhood friend. We spent summers together learning magic… it is why we became so good in each of our magic fields. Mysidia and Palamecia opted to exchange knowledge with each other once upon a time, so that peace would reign in our lands. But…”
Minwu shook his head, as if trying to shake away the feelings of what could have been, but could never be. He looked back at the Warrior once more, with the same lingering sadness, but also… determination.
“Warrior of Light… I called you upon here because I have a humble request to make. It will not be easy, and… I do understand if you refuse. But I do hope that you consider.”
The Warrior was able to feel this determination. It was comparable to the determination that the rebel rose Firion wielded in battle; the rebel rose that seemed not to mind taking a few hits despite his fragility in this world, as long as he was able to land powerful blows to the enemy to hold them back from hurting his friends.
“I humbly request that you… that you care for Firion in my stead.” he said quietly, but firmly.
“What…?”
“Even in this world, this universe… destiny has torn us apart yet again.” Minwu said, his tone resigned. “He does not know this, but we have had various incarnations in various universes as I have mentioned. An incarnation where he would save the land as I died, an incarnation where I did not die and we had the chance to learn about each other, an incarnation where… we were given a new life that felt like a happy ending. And in some of those incarnations, I took note of you. Whenever I was not around, you would always be there. You would save him when he became too reckless.”
“I… I see. I think.”
It seems that Minwu was fully aware of everything happening. His prophetic visions came with awareness of each cycle that they had gone through, and it appeared as if he was among the people who was the most conscious of each cycle and parallel universe. The Warrior of Light however, vaguely remembered his own past lives; they appeared to him like a blur. He could not even remember his own name that he merely went by his title. He does remember that someone once tried to give him a name, and to honour that lost memory – one of the only clear memories he could still remember despite their face slowly fading to obscurity – he chose not to go by any other name.
“Please look after him. In this world… we are not fated, try as we might. I am admittedly worried. In this incarnation of ours, he has grown fragile and weary. Perhaps it was because of this fate of being in a constant state of war that has eventually worn his soul thin, despite his strength. Or perhaps it was just how this universe was built. I do not know, only the gods know.” Minwu shook his head. “But I have been observing you. You do well to protect him, and he does well to look after his allies as well.”
“But I… you…”
“I trust you.” Minwu said as he stepped forward and took the Warrior’s hands in his own. His gaze was downcast…
Not long after, the Warrior felt drops land on his hands. Surprised, he looked back at the mage, who was now crying as he held the Warrior’s hands even more tightly.
“Firion…”
The cruel twist of fate that it was; Firion’s soul had grown weary and it reflected on his more fragile defenses as opposed to his other incarnations… and Minwu could not be there for him. Everytime he would try to manifest in his world, he would be even more of a ghost than the “ghosts” themselves – a term used for the warriors that fought to keep the peace in this new world.
“I do not foresee myself being there for him in time. Even if fate does dictate that I could eventually be by his side again… I do not know… if I will be there for him in time. I do not know if I will be able to live long enough to be by his side. I do not know if I will break his heart again simply because destiny would not allow us to be happy by each other’s side… I do not want to break his heart again. I cannot. Not again… I…”
The Warrior could not take it anymore. Perhaps what he was about to do was going to be rude. Perhaps this would be too much. But he knew that the mage would never allow himself the comfort he needed, and so… slowly, cautiously, he started to wrap his arms around the him. Just to get a feel for if Minwu felt unsafe… but he did not. If anything, the troubled mage leaned into his embrace, as if seeking for any semblance of comfort that he could not otherwise share with the love of his life because of this cruel twist of fate.
Once he had calmed down a bit, he sat down on the fields with the Warrior. They were able to summon the ingredients and equipment to make some tea for the both of them. Eventually, they sat side by side, each with a cup of tea in their hands.
“I am sorry about that.”
“Not at all, do not apologise. I understand what you are asking from me. But all I want to ask is… are you certain about this? Are you certain… that you are willing to leave him in my care?”
“…” Minwu thought about it long enough. He was ready for this decision, but arriving at this situation was definitely more painful than he had bargained for. “… Yes. I… all I ask is that you watch over him, as I did. As I would have. But… I… pardon me for asking, but… what do you think of him? Be honest with me.”
“… Do I speak the truth?”
“…” Minwu nodded.
“… Actually… him and I did have these ‘friend dates’ together. It started ever since Cloud refused him company, and I opted to come with him in one of my days off.”
“…” Minwu shifted his gaze to the cup of tea that he was holding. He could feel what the Warrior was trying to say, and he knew that it would come to this. The Warrior’s face said it all; the way his eyes became softer when he spoke of his “friend dates” with Firion. “… His favourite drink is tea. He does not like being the centre of attention. He can be rather naïve, believing in the good of people even after betrayals.”
“Minwu…”
“Warrior… I will meet with you again. I cannot show my face to Firion yet, not when I cannot even be sure that I will be granted the privilege to be truly with him in this cycle… in this universe. But as much as I believe in destinies… I believe I could carve my path through it. And this is how I choose to carve that path. Please… let him feel the love that I could not give him fully. The only way I could show my love for him is by teleporting him when he is in trouble without revealing myself, but that is the only way I could ever truly manifest anything. It is not nearly enough.”
His love for Firion was overflowing, that much the Warrior could tell, but he believes that his current state is not enough. He also fears that one day, he could disappear like in what had happened to him in other universes and leave the poor rebel warrior heartbroken again.
“And do not worry. If you hurt him, then I will make sure that you regret it. But… I can foresee that you will do well. I foresee…” Minwu paused for a while, and then let out a bittersweet smile. “… Go. Please… and thank you. I trust you will take care of him well.”
There was still a tinge of bitterness in his tone, knowing that he will have to live this cycle without Firion once again. Destiny was beautiful, but cruel all the same, but there was nothing they could do about it but… to carve through it with this oath they formed between them.
“For you, I will honour this promise. Thank you.” said the Warrior as his free hand crept over to Minwu's and gave him a firm handshake. “I will care for him… and I will let you know what he feels as well.”
“He will be comfortable with you.” Minwu said as he firmly shook his hand as well. “I have foreseen it. You… he will be reminded of a long-forgotten image of me in you at first… but he will truly love you for who you are. That alone is enough to comfort him.”
“Shall we meet again in the future? Shall you show yourself to him eventually?”
“I would love to meet with you again… however, as for the latter… only the gods could tell. I do not want to break his heart time and time again simply because fate does not allow me to grow old by his side.”
“Minwu…”
A love so strong, so overflowing, that it refuses to die even when fate goes against it. The Warrior simply could not overlook that, and then he took a deep breath. He had already made up his mind. As much as he refused to be named to honour the memory of someone from long ago, he also refused not to take up this simple wish.
“I understand. Thank you.”
Days later…
Firion found himself cornered by three corrupt copies of him and his friends during a fight; manikins, as they were called in past universes. Having used his shield ability, he could no longer protect himself and merely hope to tough it out until his allies would be able to attack the giant monster plaguing the Shibuya Scramble Crossing.
He tried to fend for himself, but he closed his eyes tightly as he saw what was to be the final strike until his body gave out and it had to be revived through the power of the crystals.
But that was when…
“…?”
Firion never felt a single blow that ended his consciousness. Instead, when he slowly opened his eyes…
He saw the Warrior of Light standing there as he summoned his shields for protection. He then proceeded to concentrate his power so as perform the Ultimate Shield. Seeing this, Firion saw a chance for him to retaliate. He had just gained his power once more, and he decided to double down on what the Warrior had started… he gathered enough energy to summon his weapons and call upon the Vortex of Arms. It was through that that he was able to revitalise himself to flee with the Warrior to safety, after having demolished their corrupt copies.
“Warrior… I… thank you.” said Firion once they were able to hide in a safer space.
While they were recuperating and scouting the grounds for anything else they could do, they saw that their other ally from afar, Cloud, was able to land the finishing blow on the monster with his powerful chain of attacks. Seeing as there were no other threats and their copies were also eliminated from this exchange, they sighed in relief and smiled at each other.
“We are safe… for now.” said the Warrior.
“Thank you for saving me out there.” said Firion with a smile as he raised his hand, hoping for a high five… but he never did get it. He merely chuckled at this. “I um… well, I heard that it was called a ‘high five’ in this world. Prompto told me as much over some yakiniku.”
“Is that so? What was I supposed to do?” Warrior seemed absolutely clueless, but he was willing to learn.
“Well, when I raise my hand like this… you hit it with your hand too. It is a sign of comradeship… or something.”
“…”
The Warrior simply stared at him, and then when Firion raised his hand again for a high five, he punched it... rather hard, without meaning to. Firion merely yelped in pain and then shook his own hand, not expecting this to happen. He whimpered and massaged it, but he let out an awkward chuckle.
“Yeah, I didn’t explain that thoroughly.” Firion laughed at his own mistake, having forgotten that the Warrior could be quite literal at times.
Seeing this, the Warrior realised he had made a mistake. He reached out and gently took Firion’s hand into his, and then healed it. This made Firion stop and merely look back at the Warrior’s hand gently grasping his own… and then they lifted their gaze to look into each other’s eyes.
“I am sorry.” said the Warrior earnestly. “I will learn how to do this ‘high five’ so that we can congratulate each other over a victory.”
“Warrior…” Firion spoke quietly, a faint blush starting to dust his cheeks.
“… Not interested.”
Warrior turned his head to look at the direction of the voice, as did Firion frantically. They had forgotten that they were not alone. Cloud had just walked over to them after defeating the monster from afar, but he was met with this scene. Not wanting to barge in on them, and feeling a sense of discomfort, he simply said he was not interested to deflect these feelings and then walked away.
“W-Wh… Cloud! Cloud, it’s not what it looks like!” Firion broke his hands off the Warrior’s, and then ran after him frantically. “Cloud!”
The Warrior merely watched him go, a faint smile on his lips as he watched this unfold. Peace was once again momentarily restored to this district, and his allies were also such a blessing to be around. He looked up at the skies, as if searching for something.
“Minwu… I will honour your wishes. Please watch over us… I will never let you down.” he thought to himself as he reached out for the skies and closing his fist tightly. He nodded, and then he walked on forward to catch up with his flustered allies.
