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He broke his promise.
And now, he's here to hope for some forgiveness.
“Alisaie has been busying herself in the sands of Amh Araeng,” The Exarch tells him. “Seek her out to bring her back to the Crystarium. I'm sure she'd be happy to see a familiar face,”
Even now, as Lio traverses the dunes with newfound fervor, seeking out a single Elezen girl is a lot harder than he could've ever anticipated. The locals tell him she's a fine warrior, striking down any Sin-eater since her arrival to the First.
A whole year ago.
Time dilution still confuses him, but according to the Exarch, the Scions have been here for a number of years. Compared to the few days they've been unconscious in the Source.
Lio exasperates, stopping to catch his breath. The heat is harsh here, doubled by the intense light that fills the skies. The constant hum reminds him of such, and he slumps. Pair that with the deep sand and hostile creatures attacking him, and he understands why few venture this far out.
“Where in the hell is she?” Lio murmurs to himself, glancing around. He's been tracking fresh footprints, not blown over by the winds and sand quite yet. They've led him towards the edge of the desert, old ruins being swallowed by the frozen wave of light. Anything that wasn't touched by the devilish light was abandoned, the buildings in disarray.
Lio was told she would be around here somewhere, possibly anyways. Those that were inhabiting the Inn at Journey's End alluded she would be on patrol, on alert for stray Sin-eaters. The patrons at the Inn had enough going on, the last thing they needed was an ambush by those white demons.
As he approaches a dilapidated tower at the edge of a cliff, a screech rings out. It's too far away for him to be in any immediate danger, but Lio knows the familiar sounds of a wandering Sin-eater. If he's quick enough, he can slay the beast before it causes any harm. Yet, the sand dunes make his pace frustratingly slow.
Lio spots the creature turn the corner of the tower, flying low to the ground as it hunts for its next victim. These types were of lesser-kind, weaker in aether than others. It was still dangerous.
Just as the Au Ra reaches for his lance in hopes to gather some speed, he notices something from atop the tower. It's a person, hopping from the tallest balcony, their sights set on the Sin-eater below. Even from this distance, Lio could tell they were smaller in stature. As they fall, Lio immediately knows who it is.
“Alisaie…?” He mutters, watching as the Elezen girl makes quick work of the Sin-eater. From her vantage point atop the tower, she was still a thrill-seeker. If this was what she was doing on the regular, this would surely give her brother a heart attack. Likewise, he rushes forward, hoping to catch her before she runs off again.
Thankfully, she must've noticed his presence, as she makes no effort to immediately leave. Instead she turns to him, hands on her hips.
“I was hoping to see your face around here sooner or later,” Alisaie smiles at him, her pointed ear flicking. “More so sooner…” She trails off.
“I'm relieved to see you well,” Lio tells her and he watches as she places one hand on her sheathed sword.
“Likewise, how are you?”
Lio slumps. “I'm usually one to seek out the heat but this place is unbearable,” He exasperates, tugging at the scarf of his outfit. This gets a laugh out of Alisaie, the Elezen girl giggling as she crosses her arms.
“You get used to it,” She smirks. “...eventually,”
Lio groans.
“Hey now, I'm not the one dressed in all black attire,” She says as she gestures to him.
“It's a fashion statement!” Lio counters. “Besides, this was a gift from Tataru,”
“Mhm, I see,” She replies with a roll of her eyes before beginning the trek towards the Inn. “Well, since you're here, why don't you join me on my patrol? There's always stray Sin-eaters around here,”
Lio blinks then nods. “I'm not opposed. Besides, I want to hear all about this place. Seems the locals have taken quite a liking to you,” His jab earns a small yelp from her as she turns with wide eyes.
“You've already met Tesleen?!” Alisaie stammers.
“Oh, she's the worst, she's told me all about you and–”
“I've heard enough!” She whips around, trying to be quick enough to hide how red her face has gotten. Lio is too observant, the grin he wears apparent to that.
The rest of the patrol goes without a hitch. Lio learns the history of this place, the wall of Light towering high into the sky was the result of a catastrophic event that happened a hundred years ago. He briefly recalls the Exarch talking about this, but seeing it here and now really set the feeling of dread deep within his heart. Journey's Keep, meanwhile, held patients that had been affected by the Sin-eaters, only taken care of by a few caregivers that also shared a similar fate. Sooner or later, the light would take them, and they too would turn into the white beasts that plagued these lands.
“You've been through a lot here,” Lio comments as the pair make their way back to the Inn.
“I've had to,” Alisaie murmurs. “I've been fighting harder… since I've been absent back on the Source…” She stops suddenly, and Lio stops with her.
“Ali?” He looks at her, worried he might've said something wrong.
“...remember our promise, back before we took to the trenches of the Ghimlyt?” She glances at him, hiding the fact she was guilty.
Lio remembers. That's why he was here, why he sought her out first above Alphinaud. The Au Ra hated the fact he had to choose between the two twins, but he knows Alisaie likes to beat herself up mentally over little things. He couldn't stand to keep her on that edge, especially since it's been an entire year for her.
“I remember,” Lio nods slowly, and Alisaie's eyes go downcast.
“After making you and Galo promise not to leave me, I go and do just that instead,”
“Hey, no–”
Then she's stomping her foot into the sand. “But don't worry! I made sure the Exarch got an earful for snatching me away at such an inconvenient time!”
“Alisaie…”
But the Elezen girl looks at him. “Even if there was someone else to blame, I still feel like I abandoned you at the worst possible time,”
Lio steps closer. “Don't blame yourself for something that wasn't in your control. You have no idea how awful we felt after you collapsed. Galo's nearly run himself ragged with guilt,”
Alisaie purses her lips, turning away. To hear of the Au Ra's displeasure must make her heart sink. Lio knows she preferred the Bard in companionship due to their similar personalities. That, and how much Galo has taken to protect her because she is still young. “But in my absence, I promised myself I would do everything in my power to make a difference here,” Alisaie puffs up, trying to appear strong.
Lio laughs in amusement. “I can see that much. You've grown so much stronger in the time you've been away,” Lio comes to stand next to her, a hand coming to rest on her shoulder. “Galo would be so proud to see how far you've come,”
“And what of Galo? Has he gone to retrieve my brother?” The topic changes because Alisaie has a hard time accepting such raw praise from the people she looked up to.
“Unfortunately, he won't be joining me on this adventure,” Lio sighs, thinking how much he missed his husband. Up until now, the couple had been glued to each other's sides, and had no desire to change that. Seems it took a literal separation of space and time to keep them away from each other.
But, Galo would keep himself busy back home, tending to the bodies of the Scions instead.
“Oh,” Alisaie deflates.
“He's keeping an eye on your unconscious bodies back home. We can't let poor Krile do all the work,” Lio winks at her, starting towards the direction of the Inn again.
“That is important, I suppose,” Alisaie ponders, trailing after him.
“Anyways, I want to hear more stories from Tesleen. The girl was absolutely bursting to tell me everything about you when I arrived here,” Lio hums playfully. “She held her tongue though, she wanted you to be there,”
“Wha–but that's not–I—what did she tell you?!"