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platonicone · 4 years

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Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 31 - Serenity in snow

How do you resolve a conflicted heart? I wonder…

It had been two days since things were back to normal between Leon and Luna. It was evening and Leon was sitting on the bed with his legs outstretched and back leaning against the baseboard reading Weapons Monthly magazine.

Suddenly, someone started incessantly banging on his door. He rushed to the door, thinking it might be an emergency. He opened to door to see Luna standing there.

“Did you see outside?” she asked, wasting no time on pleasantries.

“No, what happened?”

She grabbed him by his hand and took him to the window. “Look!”

“Look at what?” he asked, not finding any visible threat.

“It’s snowing!” she said with excitement of a child. “Come on, we need to go out.”

“In the snow?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she replied as if it was the most obvious thing to do. “Come on, put on some additional clothes so we can go already.” She said, getting impatient.

“Alright, alright,” he surrendered.

Luna came fully prepared wearing a pink winter beanie cap hat and a pink woolen scarf warped around her neck. She wore a brown sweater and a purple T-shirt underneath. Brown mittens covered her hands, brown pants, and matching winter boot. A black knee-length coat on top of it all completed her outfit.

Leon wore an additional jacket and a cap to his existing attire and was ready to go.

“Are you coming in this?” She asked with disbelief.

“Yes,” he shrugged.

“You’ll freeze to death or at least catch a cold,” she spoke with concern.

“This is fine. I enjoy cold weather,” he assured.

“You can enjoy cold weather in warm clothes,” she blurted.

He just facepalmed at that comment.

“Okay, fine, let’s go,” she conceded, rolling her eyes.

“Where are we going?”

“Just follow me,” she urged. He gestured towards the door for her to proceed.

Luna ran away with a huge smile on her face. She skipped every other step so she could go down faster. She opened the door to her garden and ran into the field with arms outstretched and screaming like a child. “Woohoo! I love snow!” she declared her love for his natural phenomena. She ran into the fresh snow, leaving behind a trail of her footprints.

Leon ambled behind her, wondering how such a mature girl could have such a childish side. It was commendable how well she hid her innocent childish side under the burden of maturity.

“Hey Leon, come here, quick,” she called, waving at him.

He quickened his pace to catch up with her.

She just stood there with eyes closed, face towards the sky, as gentle snowflakes rushed to kiss her face. Her bangs from either side of her beanie hat cupped her face perfectly. The snowflakes lodge into the strands of her hair. Her arms were wide open as if embracing the sky itself. A gentle and peaceful smile played on her lips. If there was one word to describe this moment, it would be serene.

Leon looked around and the whole flower field was covered in a blanket of snow. However, he noticed something very peculiar. There was no visible snow on any sylleblossom flower itself. He eyed the plant next to him as a snowflake descended on its pestle. The weight of the snowflake was too much for the gentle pestle to bear. The pestle bent under the weight, and the snowflake slid to the ground. These flowers were so delicate that no amount of weight could stay on it.

‘Sometimes ability to be flexible and bend according to the circumstances lets you survive even in dire circumstances,’ he noted.

He plucked that sylleblossom to examine closely by rotating it around its stem. He accidentally plucked a pestle from the delicate flower. He held the pestle in the palm of his hand, and it was light as a feather. A gust of wind blew it away from his hand before he could reclaim it. Like a feather, it drifted in the wind with no will of its own.

As his eyes were fixated on the flying pestle, Luna turned around to see him standing there holding a sylleblossom flower in one hand. Before his mind could process anything, he instinctively raised his hand and gave the flower to Luna.

“For me?” she asked, a bit surprised at such gesture. He didn’t respond, so she took it graciously, “Thank you, Leon.”

She tucked it above her ear, fitting nicely under her hat. The radiant blue flower made her face adorn even more.

“Leon, can I tell you something?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“I had a dream last night. It was more like a nightmare. We made a promise to see shooting stars together. I got dressed up and put on some ring you gave me. But I couldn’t remember where I was supposed to meet you. I started to panic. I really want to see you, Leon, but I didn’t know where I was supposed to go. I start running through the mountains, the desert, the plains. Through Lestallum, Gralea, and Tenebrae. When I realize I couldn’t run any longer I scream, ‘Leon, where are you?’ Then I woke up. I was crying. I'm sorry. You don't have to say anything. I just felt like I had to tell you.”

“It was just a dream. It doesn't mean anything. Don't worry about it,” he tried to downplay her fears.

“I-I guess you are right.”

Realizing that his answer was neither consoling nor satisfying, he added, “How about this. I'll be here.”

“Why?” she wondered.

“The reason why you couldn't find me was because we haven't promised yet.”

“Promised?” she wasn’t sure where this was going.

“I'll be waiting for you. If you come here, you'll find me. I promise.”

“I'll be here, too. It's a promise!” she replied with a gentle smile. “Thanks, Leon! Next time, we'll meet for sure!”

That seemed to cheer her up.

Without any warning, she fell back on the soft snow, sending puffs of snow all around her. Her back was lying flat against the snow and her face facing the sky. She gestured Leon to do the same.

‘I am going to regret this,’ he thought, shaking his head.

He lay next to Luna as the coldness from snow surrounded him. Had he known that was the plan, he would have worn more layers of clothes like Luna.

“Too often we live our lives expecting miracles. But, ironically, we miss all the miracles that happen in our daily life,” Luna narrated.

“What do you mean?” Leon asked.

She got up on elbows and looked at him. “Think about it. The clouds float through the sky without any support. Water and snow fall from the sky. The moon appears and disappears, waxes and wanes. The vast oceans remain constrained without any physical boundaries. Two tiny little cells amalgamate to develop a human possessing senses, consciousness, and intelligence. We are constantly surrounded by these countless wonders, yet we are too busy to enjoy it. I feel that in a quest to rationalize everything sometimes you lose the sense of wonder,” she explained passionately.

“Yeah. I’ve never thought it about like that. I guess you are right,” he admitted.

“I find joy even in the simplest things like that,” she confessed.

‘And I find joy in complaining about everything,’ he thought dryly.

“But you know what I enjoy more?” she asked excitedly.

“No.”

“I’ll show you. Close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Just do it,” she insisted.

He obliged by closing his eyes. He could sense she got up from her position. She scooped a handful of snow and dumped on Leon and ran away laughing.

“You little--” Leon got up and quickly and chased after her. He quickly stopped to scoop a handful of snow and made a snowball out of it. He flung it towards her and nailed her on the back.

“How dare you?” she threatened, narrowing her eyes. She retaliated with a snowball of her own. Leon dodged the first one, but she got him with the next one.

This is how their snowball fight started. For an outsider, it looked like two innocent kids playing in the snow. In this moment, there was no Oracle or her shield, it was just two innocent hearts enjoying the wonders of daily life.

After calling a truce to their snowball fight, they came back together. Both were covered in snow.

Luna took off her scarf and wiped Leon’s face with it. She took the remaining dry part of her scarf to clean off all the snow from her face as well. They looked at each other and felt like the time itself had frozen.

“Oh my God! I forgot something very important.”

“What?”

“Selfie! We haven’t taken a selfie in such a long time. We can’t let this amazing moment pass. Give me your phone.”

He gave her the phone, and they got closer to each other to take their ceremonial selfie. Not satisfied with the current selfie she complained, “Leon, can you smile properly please?”

She took another selfie, and this time the picture captured their smiles perfectly. There was snow sticking in their hair and on their clothes, and it was starting to feel cold.

The snowstorm had also picked up, so Leon suggested, “Should we go in before we get sick?”

“Yes, I am satisfied. We should go now,” she agreed. “Thank you for spending this time with me. For years, I had to play alone in the snow, it was such a joy to have you with me today.”

“After all this time do you still feel obligated to thank me?” he asked earnestly.

“It’s not an obligation, but rather gratitude from my heart,” she bowed her head slightly.

“In that case, you are welcome. Now let’s go inside.” He urged.

The temperature outside of the door and inside was starkly different. The warmth never felt so good before. They made their way to their respective rooms.

Leon entered and turned on the lights and was surprised to see a visitor he had not seen in a while. “Pryna? What are you doing here girl?” he wondered while approaching Pryna who was sitting on his bed.

He kneeled, so he was on the eye level with the canine and petted her. Pryna’s eyes suddenly started glowing red. He felt a strange compulsion to look into Pryna’s eyes, and suddenly everything became a blur.

The next thing he saw a vision of him lying on the ground in a puddle of his own blood. On his left, he saw Luna lying unconscious next to him. On further examining her, he noticed that she was profusely bleeding from her stomach. Next to her lay some unknown person clad in all black.

He looked around to see where they were, and it was a location he did not recognize. There was water all around him and he was on some sort of an altar build on it. He felt as if he was losing his strength to remain awake as his body felt numb. He felt as if he was about to die.

The vision ended, and he stumbled back on the ground. His head was throbbing, and his heartbeat was through the roof. “What was that?” he asked, clutching his head.

Pryna jumped from the bed and snuggled close to him as if comforting him.

He recalled hearing from Luna that Umbra’s power can show people things about their past, while Pryna’s power showed people a vision of the future.

“Was that a vision of the future?” he wondered aloud, as realization dawn on him.

“A-Am I going to die?” The words dried in his mouth.

Luna had stepped out of the shower with her towel still wrapped around her head. She was surprised to see a visitor, she had not seen in a while. “Gentiana?”

“Luna, we need to talk,” Gentiana spoke with urgency.

Gentiana rarely addresses her as Luna. She figured it must be something urgent. “What is it?”

“It’s about Squall. He is going to die,” Gentiana stated with any fluctuation in her tone.

“What!” the news hit her like a brick. She was completely shell-shocked.

“Yes. Pryna showed him a vision of the future. He is destined to die at the Altar of the Tidemother,” she stated.

“In Altissia?”

“Yes, the very location where the covenant is to be forged with Leviathan,” she affirmed.

“Oh my God! How? He is supposed to go back to his world after that trial. He can’t die there otherwise all this was for nothing.”

“I am afraid that is the current course of his fate,” she surmised grimly.

“No, I won't accept it. The future hasn’t happened yet, we can change it,” she replied defiantly.

“How?”

“I don’t know. But we have to figure something out. We can’t just sit here ideally and let it happen.”

“What do you suggest?” Gentiana asked.

After a lengthy silence, Luna finally spoke, “How about we don’t take him to the Altar of the Tidemother at all?”

“That is an interesting proposition.”

“If he is physically not there, then he can’t die, right?” Luna wondered aloud.

“Do you think he will leave on your own against Leviathan? Nothing will stop him from being by your side, especially now that he has seen your fate as well.”

All the colors from Luna’s face drained. “He saw my fate too?”

“Yes. Knowing him, he would do anything to save you,” Gentiana stated.

“B-But I-I --” she was at a loss of words. It was as if her brain had gone suddenly silent.

After some contemplation, Luna spoke again, “We must stop him from going to Altissia. I see no other way.”

‘I don’t know what Bahamut has planned for him. My mission is to kill him. Not taking him to Altissia would be an act of defiance against him,’ Gentiana thought.

“His mission is to take you to Altissia. Only there he can return to his world,” Gentiana construed.

“Then how do we protect him once we get there?” Luna inquired.

“I do not know that, yet,” Gentiana confessed.

The silence befalls the room as both searched for a solution to their predicament.

“There is only one person who can save Squall now,” Gentiana broke the uncomfortable silence after a few minutes.

“Who?” Luna asked with renewed hope.

“Nocits.”

Author's notes:

Just when you think Leon and Luna can finally have some peace this vision happens... lol Before torturing them any further, I felt they deserve one last moment of serenity in snow. Things take a drastic turn from next chapter onward.

So, what do you think about this chapter? Let me know in your comments below. If you don't have much to say then at least say 'Hi' so I know someone is reading this. It would really brighten my day. Thanks :)

Stay healthy and stay safe.

PS: *wishfully thinking* I would love to see an image of Squall and Luna covered in snow per description above.

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platonicone · 4 years

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Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 30 - Healing hearts

Why does seeing someone else in pain hurt you? I wonder…

“We don’t know much detail, but I got an SOS from her on our secure channel. We traced her signal, and her last location was in Zegnautus Keep, Gralea. The Empire will execute her if we don’t rescue her soon,” he pleaded.

“Okay, I’ll meet you at the airship,” he ran back in his room and washed his face with cold water. He grabbed his jacket, potions, and a variety of bullets for his gunblade. Once prepared, he made a mad dash towards the airship.

By the time he got there, the magictek engine was roaring, and the airship was ready to liftoff. He jumped into the open hanger and closed the hangar door behind. The airship immediately took to the sky.

“What are you doing here?” asked a familiar voice from the back.

“Luna? What are you doing here?” he asked, not expecting her to be on this airship.

“Wedge informed me that Aranea was captured and I am going with the crew to rescue her,” she explained.

“Biggs came to tell me the same, that’s why I am here.”

“I hope she is okay,” she stated with deep concern.

“That idiot. How could she be so careless,” he said with a facepalm.

They both sat on the bench on opposite sides as there was no one in the hanger beside them. For a few minutes, neither of them said anything.

“Is everything okay with you?” Squall asked, finally gathering courage.

“Mhm.”

“Urgh. Stop it already. Don’t tell me that everything is okay when both know it's not. Ever since Fociaugh Hollow something has changed. You are going out of your way to avoid me and I can see that.”

“No, I am not,” she deflected, averting her gaze.

“Ever since we got to Tenebrae you have not spoken to me properly even once,” he pointed.

“T-that’s because I was busy,” she defended.

“When you care for someone, you make time for them.”

“It’s not that simple, Squall,” she fought back the water welling up in her eyes.

“Luna, I feel like we are drifting away and I don’t even know why. I can’t read your mind; you have to tell me what you are thinking of else I won’t understand. All I know is that it hurts to see us like this,” he pleaded softly.

“Then get used to it,” she replied sharply.

“I will. Just tell me why?” he urged.

“Because this is what’s best for both of us.” She quickly wiped off a stubborn tear that escaped her eyes, hoping Squall wouldn’t see it.

Squall got up from his seat and walked towards her. He kneeled in front of her and asked, “If it is for the best, then why are you crying?”

“I-I don’t know,” she covered her face with her hands as tears poured out from her eyes.

“Luna, tell me what’s wrong? What is bothering you? Why are you avoiding me?” he pleaded.

“What am I supposed to say, Squall? That I am sorry for abandoning you in a fight against Ramuh? I am sorry that I was willing to sacrifice you so that I can fulfill my destiny by stepping on your corpse? Sorry that I was ungrateful after everything you have done for me? Sorry that I was so selfish that I did not care about your well-being? What am I supposed to tell you, Squall? The choice was your death, or my destiny and I choose my destiny. I made a conscious choice to let you die. The truth is that no matter how many times I apologize to you, it should never be enough. There is no coming back from what I’ve done,” she screamed through her tears.

He got up and hugged her. Sometimes actions are better than words. He stroked the back of her head gently to console her.

“I have forgiven you; I hope you can forgive yourself too.”

“That is the problem, Squall. I can’t forgive myself after what I have done. Seeing you is a constant reminder of what kind of monster I am,” she said, still clutching him tightly in an embrace.

“You are not a monster. Sometimes life can be cruel. It does not give you many choices. Given the circumstance, you made the right choice,” he reassured.

“Was it? What would you have done in my place?” she asked, breaking the hug and looking into his eyes.

“I would have fought against Ramuh,” he said in a heartbeat.

“I am sorry,” she said as regret filled her heart once again.

“Don’t be. It just means that you are stronger than I am.”

“What?” she asked with a surprise.

“I would have sacrificed many to save the one. You had a tough choice to make, and you made the right choice. That makes you stronger than I am.”

“B-but--” she was about to say something when he put a finger on her lips.

“Stop beating yourself up about it. The way I felt about you before the events at Fociaugh Hollow and the way I feel about you now hasn’t changed.”

“How could you still love me after all this?”

“W-What? Who said anything about love?” averting his gaze.

“I know how you feel about me,” she said after placing a gentle hand on his right cheek.

“H-How?”

“Because I am not blind and also, I saw your memories,” she said the last part in a hurry hoping he would not catch it.

“What? What was that about seeing my memories?” he inquired as he glared at her.

“When I woke up at Fociaugh Hollow I found you unconscious. I did not know what had happened to you. Aranea came to the rescue, and we decided to bring you to Terebrae for further treatment. It was on the train ride that I remembered how you once dived into someone’s memories to figure out what was wrong with them. Using Umbra’s powers, I did the same, and I saw some of your memories since you came here. I saw the love you harbor for me. I saw your pain and sacrifice for me. A-and and it hurts so much.”

He wanted to say something, but the words dried in his mouth.

“It hurts that I cannot reciprocate those feeling to you.”

“Loving you was my choice. You have no obligations to love me back.”

“But I want to, yet I can’t.”

He stayed quiet as no coherent thought formed in his head.

“I-I am scared of you, Leon,” she confessed.

“Me?”

“Yes. I am scared that if I stay close to you and then I’ll just end up falling for you if I haven't already. That is why I have been avoiding you. Not because I wanted to, but because I couldn’t dare to. Because I don’t trust myself to hold back anymore,” she poured her heart out.

“After all that we’ve been through I couldn’t jeopardize the fate of this whole planet for the sake of my happiness. I am supposed to love Noctis and only him,” she continued.

‘You don’t love someone because you are supposed to. You love someone because you want to. How could she not see that?’ He thought.

“Do you love him?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I do care for him deeply, but my devotion towards him and my affection towards you is very different. And I don’t know which one of them is love.”

“Oh, for the love of God, just shut up and kiss already!” screamed a frustrated voice on the intercom. “You guys are utter morons.”

“Aranea?” they both said simultaneously, recognizing the voice.

She opened the connecting cabin door and walked into the hanger holding a candy bar in her hand.

“What the--” Squall said.

“You are here!” said Luna upon seeing her. “Weren’t you captured by the Empire?”

“No, it was a ruse to get both of you morons to get into a room and talk it out. I was tired of seeing both of you sulking and moping around all day. I was tired of both of your whining. I was tired of babysitting both of you. And above all else, I was tired of seeing both of you sad. So, I brought you here to sort it out like adults,” she stated and then proceeded to take a bite out of her candy.

“You!” Luna said, glaring at her.

“I can’t believe I fell for it,” Squall said with a facepalm.

“You can yell at me now, but I know you will thank me later,” she waved them to get out of her way as she sat on the bench like a queen with her legs crossed. “Go on,” she said with a gesture.

“What?” he asked

“Aren’t you guys going to kiss now?” she said, taking another bite of her chocolate.

Both of them glared at her. If looks could kill, she would be dead by now.

“Oh! I get it. You guys don’t want to do it in front of me. I’ll leave to give you some privacy.”

“Shut up,” they both yelled in unison.

Ignoring her snickering, Luna turned to Squall and said, “Squall, I am sorry I looked at your memories without your permission.”

“It’s okay. You did what you had to do to save me.”

“Hey Luna, just a tip, if I am every unconscious like him. DO NOT dive into my memories. Trust me, you do not want to see things,” she said with a mischievous wink.

“Eww,” Luna said making a face that prompted laughter from Aranea.

“You know, your relationship is like this chocolate. You know it’s bad for your health but you still can't resist it,” she said, taking the final bite of the chocolate.

“Ha-ha, true,” said Luna with a small smile. Aranea could annoy her one minute and make her smile in another.

“Alright, I’ll take my leave and leave you two lovebirds alone,” she remarked getting up from the bench.

On her way to the door, she paused by Squall and whispered in his ear, “Just so you know, I am always on #TeamLeon.”

Squall just facepalmed, and she went away laughing.

It was Luna and Leon again, alone together after what felt like an eternity. Luna sat on the floor, leaning against the bench. Squall did the same.

She turned towards him and looked at him intently. He felt like he was being scanned.

“What?” he asked after a while.

“Nothing. It just feels like I have not seen you in a long time.”

“That is because you have not. You kept avoiding me.”

“I had to for the sake of my sanity,”

“You have lost so much weight,”

“Yeah, stress and self-loathing can do that to you,” she admitted.

“Do you know what was the most hurtful part for me in all this?” he asked.

She shook her head slightly.

“You had no choice in whatever happened at Fociaugh Hollow, but you had a choice when we got to Tenebrae. Every time circumstances pushed us apart, but this time it was you,” he gulped as his mouth went dry.

“It wasn’t circumstance, it was you who pushed me away and that hurt me the most,” he repeated slowly. “Every day I kept myself beating up, trying to figure out what did I do wrong? What did I do to deserve this? I am not worthy enough for at least an explanation for this?”

“I am sorry. I couldn’t bring myself to look into your eyes, let alone talk to you,” she confessed.

“What now?” he asked, without looking at her.

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

“It’s ironic that the one who knows so much about the world knows so little about herself.”

“The truth is, I do know what I want. But I also know that I shouldn’t want what I want.”

“Then we are at an impasse. Again,” he concluded.

“This is your captain speaking. We are about the enter the Gralea’s airspace. The view of the metropolitan is spectacular from the top. I will be opening the hanger for your viewing pleasure. Please put on the safety harness so you don’t fall to your untimely death,” Aranea announced over the intercom.

Once they both strapped in their safety harness, the hanger opened, letting in the cold air.

They both ambled towards the edge of the hanger to get a better view of the city below. Luna stopped a few feet away from the edge, but Leon kept going.

He turned around and extended his hand towards Luna, “Come on.”

“No, this is far enough.”

“Are you scared?”

“Mhm.”

“We have a safety harness, there is nothing to be afraid of.”

She tried to take a couple of steps, but immediately backed away. “No, I am too scared to go any further.”

“I am here. I won’t let you fall. Trust me,” he assured her.

He walked back to her and placed his left arm around her, “You will be fine, trust me.”

Luna took baby steps as Leon patiently accompanied her.

“Sit down,” he suggested, after sitting on the edge of the open hanger first. His legs dangling freely in the air.

“No, this is too reckless,” she complained.

“Just shut up and sit,” yelled Aranea from the intercom which startled Luna.

“Stop yelling at me,” Luna screamed back.

“Biggs, can you believe that? Here I am giving them a romantic tour of Gralea but she yells at me. Insufferable fool,” grumbled Aranea on the intercom.

“I’ll sit here on one condition. You sit on that corner edge holding that bar in one hand and I’ll sit next to you, so you can hold on to me if I fall.”

Without arguing, Leon got up and move to the corner of the hanger and sat down, “Happy?”

She nodded and joined him of this insane adventure. Leon held on to the railing bar with one hand and Luna in another.

The bird-eye view from the top was breathtaking. The many skyscrapers stood tall as if touching the sky itself, showing off the architectural achievements of mankind. A ginormous bridge, an architectural marvel in its own rights, ran across the center of the city. The road offshoot from the bridge connected the whole city. From this height, cars looked like toys. Trains ran along transporting thousands of people at different locations. The birds in the sky were replaced by the many airships which populated the Gralean airspace. Oddly enough, even some demons flew along with the airships.

“We are in the Ueltham region of the Niflheim, home to the Imperial Capital, Gralea. The big structure in the center is the crowning jewel of the Empire, Zegnautus Keep,” the ever-helpful captain announced on the intercom.

“This flying mega fortress is the height of imperial might. It serves as a magitek laboratory and Niflheim military installation. This colossal flying structure that is usually docked at the central elevator in Gralea. The Empire conducts research on magitek and daemons here, and its premise is used for programming magitek troopers. The emperor's throne room is located in the heart of the Keep,” the tour guide announced.

‘A floating fortress which is home to military, sound familiar.’ He wondered

“Wow, this mega fortress is like a flying city,” Luna said with awe. “All this looks like a work of science fiction.”

As far as the eyes could see, the entire city was filled with towering buildings. It looked as if the divine has played Tetris and made this city.

“This is so much different from Insomnia,” Luna noted.

“How so?” he asked.

“In Insomnia there are statues of old kings and Astrals whom the people worship. Here it feels like people have replaced the Maker with technology. The very idea of attacking an Astral would be blasphemy in Lucis but Niflheim proudly attacks Astrals so they can display their might.”

“I guess they don’t care much about the Oracle then,” he surmised.

“Yes, they believe science and technology is the answer to everything. They do not seek spiritual solace. Technology can give comfort, but not peace. I believe one needs a refuge of the Maker to find everlasting peace.”

“What is peace for those who are not seeking it? They find their thrill in the conquest of others.”

“Their thrill only lasts until someone more powerful conquers them.”

“Such is the world we live in. Survival of the fittest and finest.”

“Survival of the fittest and finest and compassion for none, is that the world we want to live in? Isn’t our ability to be compassionate towards the plight of others what makes us inherently humans?”

“You have to be alive to be compassionate, no?”

“Urgh! Shut up or my fist will compassionately touch your face. You guys are so boring as hell. Do you guys know anything about romance at all? Who goes on a romantic date and talks about moral and ethical philosophy? This is so hopeless,” said frustrated Aranea over the intercom.

“Stop listening to us,” Leon yelled back.

“And watching us,” Luna added.

“We will be docking at Zegnautus Keep shortly, so get away from the hangar. I have to take care of an errand. Do not dare to step outside of this ship as in this Garlea both of you are wanted. While I am gone enjoy this song which I have selected, especially for you.”

The song ‘We Found Love in a hopeless place (Rihanna)’ started blaring through the overhead speakers. Squall couldn’t help but facepalm hearing the lyrics.

Aranea dropped off Solara, and their ship took to the sky again.

“Leon, I cannot apologize enough for hurting you at Fociaugh Hollow and thereafter. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I—”

“Luna, stop. As I said before, I have forgiven you now you should too.”

Luna nodded and went silent.

After lots of contemplating, Luna finally spoke up, “Leon, whatever limited time I have, I want to spend it happily with you, if you would allow me to.”

“I would like nothing more,” he replied with a rare smile. Hearing that, she replied with a radiant smile.

“See, was it so hard? Just talk it out like adults. Everyone could see that you guys love each other, except you two morons. You may thank me now,” blared Aranea from the overhead speakers.

“Whatever,” said Leon.

“Never,” said Luna.

“Love is not a crime; you don’t need to be ashamed of it or hide it. You are adults, you are allowed to display your affection for each other. Squall, you may kiss your girlfriend. You have my permission.”

Luna’s cheeks turned beet red with embarrassment.

Squall, however, stood up from his seat and marched towards the control cabin.

“Oh no, he is coming here. Lock the door, Biggs,” ordered Aranea.

Once everything calmed down again, Aranea joined Squall and Luna. They playfully attacked Aranea for her role in all this. All three of them sat together and talked animatedly. Smiles and laughter filled the room once again. The broken hearts seemed to heal thanks to Aranea.

None of them noticed when their airship descended in Tenebrae. They all said their goodbyes and departed. Luna was the first one to go, followed by Squall.

“Squall,” Araneae called him out just as he was about to exit the airship.

“Yes?”

“Squall, this is probably the last time we are seeing each other,” Aranea announced dreadfully.

“Why?” he asked with surprise.

“I am deployed to Fort Valluerey. Our Intel tracks Noctis in that area. I am leaving tomorrow morning. By the time I get back, you would already be on your way to Altissia.”

“I-I will miss you,” he admitted in a rare moment of honesty.

“Me too, scar-face,” she replied with a smile.

“You are my best friend and I appreciate everything you have done for me. I don’t know where our fates would lead, but I hope we meet again. Somehow. Somewhere.”

“Yes, let’s meet up again. Somehow. Somewhere,” she trailed off.

“Take care of Luna and yourself.”

He nodded in response.

“Squall, I have known Luna for over a decade. No matter what she says or does, I know her heart bleeds for you. Don’t give up on her.”

“I won’t,” he said confidently.

“And never forget that I am always #TeamLeon,” she said with a wink.

In a rather unexpected move, he hugged Aranea.

“Thank you for everything,” he said, letting go of her.

“Goodbye Arae,” he said and jumped off from the ship hovering a few feet above the ground.

“Goodbye Squall,” she waved as the airship ascended to the sky. She quickly turned around and walked into the ship before her eyes could tear up. Deep down inside she knew this was the last time she would see him.

Author's notes:

5 notes · View notes

platonicone · 4 years

Note

By the way, please stay safe out there. I live in Italy and it's a mess

Thanks for checking, I pray that you and your loved ones are safe too. Based on the news it is very bad in Italy, but I am sure reality must be even darker than the news. I am the US and it’s bad here too. We are number one in infection and death in the world, but we are all in social distancing/isolation and thank god, everyone I know is safe so far. It is amazing how 0.125 Micron sized virus paused the whole world. I hope we all get out from this incident stronger. Be safe.

0 notes

platonicone · 4 years

Note

Hi, how are you? Great work as usual! Well, in this story I'm obv #TeamLeon but to be sincere I always saw noctis' and luna's relationship as more platonic than anything, like brother and sister you know? I'm more inclined to see noctis with prompto given their scenes together

Hello Mr/Mrs/Ai Anonymous, I am doing well. How about you? I sincerely hope you and your loved ones are safe in this crisis.

Well, Luna and Noctis’ relationship is very unique. Very platonic and very pure, transcending boundaries of physicality. To harbor feeling of love after not seeing each other or communicating properly for 12 years is devotion. Had they developed their story properly it would have been iconic couple’s relationship in perhaps all of the games.

Ironically enough it was that level of devotion towards each other which sparked the idea for this story (that any many loopholes in the game’s narrative). Luna’s actions seems more out of duty than love to me so I needed someone else to step into that role and Squall brings his cold and caring attitude vs Luna’s warm and caring attitude. This gives sufficient differences (warm vs cold) between the two characters while still having enough common ground to be attracted to each other. Plus, I saw lots of overlap between FFXV and FFVIII so Squall became the default choice.

I believe Luna and Noctis’ love story is rather underdeveloped but powerful at the same time. I thought how can I take this to the next level to present purest form of love (that i know as of now). Hence, the backdrop of Hyne/Eos and Squall and Luna’s constant struggle to make each other happy. Speaking of that, they finally have a heart to heart conversation in next chapter :)

0 notes

platonicone · 4 years

Text

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 29 - Friendship

Why do we confide in others? I wonder…

After braving the snow, they finally came to the haven by a thawed lake. The mountain arch with a deep opening created a nice shelter from the arctic wilderness. The depth of the arch prevented any wind or snow from entering the enclosed space.

“Looks very cozy,” Aranea stated, looking at the haven.

“At this point, even a coffin would look cozy,” commented Squall callously.

“Let’s go get some dry branches before it gets any darker,” she suggested. Squall nodded, and they both got busy gathering wood to burn.

They collected branches and various pieces of wood and dumped them at the fireplace. They huddled around it and tried to start the fire by rubbing stones.

“Oh fire, discovered by cavemen, useful even now,” she commented as a spark from her stone ignited the fire.

They sat as close to the fire as possible without getting burned. She warmed her hands and place it on her face to spread the warmth. Squall leaned in closer to the fire to bask in its warmth.

Once the sun set, the darkness took over. Without any city lights nearby, everything was covered in the thick blanket of darkness.

“I am glad we made it before the demons came out,” she said, rubbing her hands.

“Ya,” he sounded uninterested.

She gazed out into the darkness and her eyes could barely identify any shapes.

“Is this how the world will be if darkness takes over?” She wondered.

“Probably.”

“Is everything okay? You seem distracted,” she noted.

“Just, lots of things going on, that’s all.”

“Wanna talk about it?” She offered.

“No,” both of them said simultaneously. Aranea laughed his predictability.

“You can tell me anything. I am your friend,” she said, leaning closer.

“I know. I don’t want to burden you with my problems,” he replied, averting her gaze.

“Seeing a friend in trouble and not being able to help them is also a burden,” she stated calmly.

“You remind me so much of her,” he commented.

“Her?”

“In my world, I had a friend who stood by my side through thick and thin. She would go out of her way to help me at my slightest discomfort. Even though I never did anything for her, she never left my side.”

“She sounds awesome.”

“Ya, she was. It’s a shame that I don’t even remember her name or her face. But I think she was very intelligent, compassionate and very beautiful too. She even had her own fan club if I recall it correctly.”

“Makes me wonder why was she friends with someone like you?” she said, poking fun at Squall.

“I don’t know. She had no reason to,” he replied, adjusting the wood to keep the fire burning. “Once she wanted to talk about her problem and I told her to go talk to the wall.”

“Wow, you are such an ass. Did you at least apologize to her?”

“I don’t think so. It’s one thing I regret the most. I never treated her right or ever told her how much she meant to me,” he revealed, staring into the darkness.

“Squall, we humans are very resilient when it comes to our survival. However, our hearts are very fragile, it needs to be constantly reassured of love and hope. That is why is so important to tell someone how much you appreciate them or how much they mean to you,” She advised.

“You are right. I should do it more often,” he admitted.

“Everyone wants to be needed by someone. If you can make someone feel needed, you have done a good job,” she added.

“I know, but I have a hard time expressing myself. I’d rather show that I care about them through my actions than say it.”

“Even if you show it by actions, it is still important to say it sometimes,” she countered.

“Why?”

“Because it feels good to hear it,” she replied.

“I guess.”

“Aranea, thank you.”

“For which one? There are too many things you owe me for,” she said jokingly.

“You are one person who does not hesitate to tell me when I am wrong and I appreciate it. Sometimes you need an outside perspective to realize your mistake,” he confessed.

“I will always be at your service if you ever want to be insulted, scar-face,” she stated with a smile. “You are welcome. That’s what friends are for, to cover each other’s weaknesses and improve each other. If as a friend, I don’t help you identify and correct your mistake, then what’s the point of such friendship?”

“Friends like you are rare to find, so thank you for being my friend,” he said earnestly.

“Someone is taking my advice to heart. I like it,” she smiled.

Silence took over again as neither of them said anything.

“So, you gonna tell me what’s going on between you and Luna?” Aranea initiated the conversation.

“Nothing is going on,” he deflected her inquiry.

“That’s not what Luna said,” she stated, shaking her head.

“What did she say?” Squall asked with a glint in his eyes.

“Everything. From the day you meet till now,” she recalled.

“If she already told you everything, then there is nothing more I could add to it.”

“She told me about your journey from her perspective. But I am more interested in hearing your side of the story,” she stated her curiosity.

“Why?”

“Because I am curious. Because we have a lot of time to kill. Because I want to know why you risked your life like that. Because I want to help Luna. Do you need more reasons?” she listed.

“I guess not,” he shrugged.

“So, spill it.”

Squall took a deep breath and began.

“I gotta admit, after hearing all that, I am #TeamLeon. I think you two make a cute couple,” she giggled.

“Stop it,” he said, getting annoyed.

“Oh, come on now, just admit it,” she urged.

“Whatever.”

“You should tell her how you feel,” she suggested.

“Nothing will ever happen between us. She loves Noctis and will marry him someday. I will go back to my world once I take her to Altissia. That is how our story ends,” he remarked in a grievous tone.

After some solemn silence Squall spoke again, “Aranea, can you do me a favor?”

“Ask away.”

“Please help Noctis the best you can,” he stated, humbly.

“Wait! What?” she was taken aback. “You want me to help Noctis? Why?”

“Because Luna loves him. To see him fulfill his duty is her dream. Even though I might not be around to see it, I still want her dream fulfilled.”

“You do know that I don’t like Noctis, right?” She checked.

“Yes, I do. But I also know that you won’t let me down,” he stated.

“Urgh. I have so much pent-up frustration with him. Can I fight with him once and let it all out? Obviously, I won’t break his bones or anything,” she complained.

“Fine, but will you help him after that?” he asked.

“Yes, I promise.”

“Thanks.”

“You are so weird,” she said, shaking her head.

“You would have to be more specific than that,” he advised.

“It’s like you are going out of business because of a competitor, but you still want to make sure that they get all your customers once you are gone. Why?” she wondered.

“I am not doing it for him. I am doing it for Luna. I want her to be happy, even if it's not with me. Her happiness lies with Noctis.”

“What about your happiness?” she inquired.

“My happiness is in seeing her happy,” he replied sincerely.

“Why do you love her?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied honestly.

“For someone so pragmatic, I thought you would know why.”

“Love is irrational by nature. You can have reasons to like someone, but you don’t need a reason to love someone. You just do.”

“Never thought you to be a hopeless romantic,” she said with a chuckle.

“I would like to think that I am pragmatic romantic.”

“There is no such thing as that. Now you are just making things up,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Isn’t that how the language was invented? Someone came up with some words and gave meaning to it,” he defended.

She just gave a facepalm in response.

“Your turn to speak.”

Aranea narrated her childhood, growing up in Niflheim, joining the military, and her rise to being a Commodore. One thing Squall could notice was that she was fiercely loyal to Niflheim.

After hearing her story, Squall asked, “Who was that little girl on the train? I saw you playing with her in Tenebrae as well.”

That question caught her off-guard.

“Oh, she is, um…” Aranea seemed to struggle to come up with a coherent sentence. “She is a friend’s daughter.”

Squall scrutinized her. She knew he was on to her.

“I thought you are were not allowed to keep secrets from a friend,” he stated, calmly.

Aranea sighed before speaking. “As a soldier, we sacrifice our body for our nation. Let’s just say that there is more than one way to sacrifice your body.”

“Oh…” it suddenly dawned on Squall on what she meant. “She is your—”

“Yes, she is my monster,” she interjected before he could complete. “Her name is Solara Aldercapt Antiquum.”

“Aldercapt?” his eyes widened.

“She is the granddaughter of Emperor Aldercapt. After the prince’s untimely death, the Emperor was left without an heir. However, they had preserved the DNA of the prince. I volunteered for the sake of my country. Only Emperor Aldercapt and I know of this secret. Now you know it as well.”

“I promise to take this secret to my grave,” he responded earnestly.

Aranea nodded in appreciation.

“She is my world. I want to keep fighting for a better future for her sake,” she said, as fire danced in her iris.

“You are lucky, Aranea,” Squall spoke softly.

“Why?” She asked, taken aback.

“Many people find a reason to die for, but only a few find a reason to live for. I am happy you found that reason to live for.”

“It was unexpected at first, but I finally found my reason to live. Even if the world goes dark, I’ll keep fighting for a better future.”

They chatted at great length about Aranea’s past. Talking with each other kept their mind away from hunger and cold. They continued to chat till dawn.

They heard engine noise coming in their direction. “They are here.”

A sense of relief washed over them when they heard that voice.

Within seconds Biggs and Wedge came into view, riding their snowmobile. Biggs waved at them and Aranea waved back.

They rode back to the ship on their snowmobiles. A medic on-board checked on them as soon as they entered the ship.

As the ship descended toward Tenebrae Aranea approached Squall. “Here, you should keep this,” she said, handing him something.

He looked at it and was shocked to see it, “Frozen tear! Why are you giving it to me?”

“Think of it as a token of our friendship. Keep it safe until I ask for it.”

“Yes, I’ll keep it with me so I can return it to you someday.”

“Good.”

The airship lowered and the hangar door opened. They said their goodbyes and made their way to their respective home.

Next Day

Leon did not see Aranea the next day at all. He assumed that she must be busy with her duties and taking care of her monster. He went for a stroll with Gentiana as usual. The healing camp was over the number of pilgrims was significantly less now. They could finally walk without bumping into each other. He had hoped to see Luna, but she had requested her meals in her room.

Next Day

A loud banging on the door woke up Squall. He stumbled his way to the door, “Biggs?”

“Sir Squall, Lady A has been captured by the Empire and she has been branded as a traitor," said frantic Biggs.

Hearing that, Squall was wide awake now. “What? How?”

Author's notes:

So, what do you think about this chapter? Are you #TeamLeon or #TeamNoctis? Let me know in your comments below. If you don't have much to say then at least say 'Hi' so I know someone is reading this. It would really brighten my day. Thanks :)

4 notes · View notes

platonicone · 4 years

Note

Don't you dare think i didn't catch that convo between squall and quistis :))) Great work as always!

Haha I am glad you did. There is more to come in next chapter :)

0 notes

platonicone · 4 years

Text

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 28 - The warmth of cold

What can melt a frozen heart? I wonder…

It was 7 a.m. and he was already up and running. As soon as he stepped out of his room, a medic was standing there with his medicine in hand. Knowing that medic was simply following Luna’s order, there was no point in arguing with him. He took his pills and made his way to the manor gates.

The silver-blond woman showed up a few minutes later. He looked at Aranea and she wore a long fur-lined black coat and a muted red scarf with matching fingerless gloves. The zipper of her jacket has a large round accessory with a red gem. Her long-heeled boots matched her leather trousers.

“Aren’t you overdressed?” he asked, as she approached closer.

“No, dummy, you are underdressed. Go back and put on more layers of clothes. It is below freezing where we are going.”

“I think I should be fine,” he brushed it off.

“I can’t take any chances. Your girlfriend would kill me if you get hypothermia,” she exclaimed.

“For the last time, Luna is not my girlfriend,” he shook his head.

“Who said anything about Luna? You brought her up. The proper response should have been, ‘I am an emo loaner and I don’t have a girlfriend.’” She smirked.

“Ugh. I hate you,” he moaned.

“Aww sweetie, I hate you too,” she replied, playfully punching on his arm.

“Whatever,” both Squall and Aranea said at the same time.

“So predictable,” she caroled in a singsong voice. He just ignored her.

“Now go put on some more clothes while I raid the pantry,” she instructed, walking in the manor.

Once ready, they made their way towards the railway station.

“Are we going by train?” Squall asked.

“No, we are going in that,” she pointed at an imperial airship.

“Is that safe?” he asked with concern.

“There is no place safer than that. It is my airship,” she proclaimed.

“Wow!” He marveled at the state-of-the-art airship.

“Hello Lady A,” welcomed Biggs, as they entered the airship.

“Hello Biggs and Wedge,” she greeted her loyal companions. Wedge just nodded in response.

‘Hmm. Biggs and Wedge, these names sound familiar.’ He wondered.

“Thank you so much for taking care of things at Lucis.”

“It’s our pleasure lady A,” Biggs replied courteously.

Everyone saluted her as she walked into the ship.

“You never told me your rank,” Squall noted.

“Because it’s not important,” she brushed it off. “But if you must know, I am the commodore of the Niflheim Empire's Third Army Corps 86th Airborne Unit.”

“Impressive,” he admitted.

This airship was the first time Squall got a close look at Imperial technology. It was a scientific marvel. The airship’s thrusters roared, and within seconds they were soaring in the sky.

They were barely a few klicks away from Tenebrae when the entire landscape changed. The lush green terrain was replaced with layers and layers of unending snow. The temperature dropped sharply.

“What’s our mission?” he asked, looking outside from the window at a frozen snowscape.

“To retrieve a legendary item called Frozen Tear,” she stated.

“What’s so special about it?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. The legend has it that whenever Shiva suffers immense pain, a tear escapes her eyes and due to the extreme cold, it is crystallized instantly. It is said that the luster of this Frozen Tear would put a thousand diamonds to shame. Niflheim retrieved one such tear when they killed Shiva,” Aranea informed.

“One of our scouts reported observing Frozen Tear on Shiva’s corporeal body. We will go check it out and if it’s true, we will grab it for ourselves before Niflheim can get their hands on it,” she briefed.

“But, aren’t you working for Niflheim?”

“It’s complicated,” she stated, clearing a strand of hair on her face.

The snowstorm outside was intensifying with every passing second.

“Lady A, we won’t be able to go much further because of this snowstorm. You would have to get there on a snowmobile from here,” informed Biggs.

“That is fine. You can drop us here,” Aranea agreed to the plan.

“Alright, lowering the altitude,” he announced to the crew.

“Your snowmobile is in the hanger,” Wedges informed.

Aranea nodded and got up from her seat. Squall followed her as well. She opened the door connecting the cabin and the hanger and made her way in.

Squall stepped in and looked at the snowmobile. It was a military grade snowmobile with a high-caliber machine gun mounted on it. He noticed a strange carving near the bottom of the vehicle. He crouched down to inspect. It had Trepe etched into it.

“That’s the name of my snowmobile,” Aranea revealed, looking at his quizzical expression.

‘Trepe, where have I heard that name before?’ He wondered.

“I did not know you liked to give names to objects,” he pointed.

“Shut it, scar-face.”

“What is this ship called?” he inquired.

“It’s called Save the Queen. I am not very sentimental about names, but having names makes things easier to locate,” she reasoned.

“Strange choice for a ship name,” he remarked.

She just shrugged. “The crew came up with it.”

Once Squall got up from examining the snowmobile, Aranea handed him something. “Take this pill.”

“What is it?” he asked, inspecting the red gel pill.

“This pill would prevent body temperature from dropping down even in extreme conditions. A mad scientist named Dr. Verstael created it when we fought against Shiva.”

‘There was a mad scientist in my world, but for some reason, I can picture him wearing clown’s clothes. Weird.’ His mind recollected a distant memory.

Squall took the pill and swallowed it quickly.

“Lady A, this is as far as we can go. Let me know when you are ready and I’ll open the hanger,” said the overhead voice of Biggs.

“Can I drive?” Squall asked with the eagerness of a child.

“I know this terrain better, so I’ll drive. How about you ride it on the way back?” she offered.

“Deal,” he accepted, reluctantly.

After sitting properly on their snowmobile, Aranea gave the signal to open the hanger.

A cold wind rushed in as soon as the hangar door opened.

“Ready to go?” she asked, glancing back at him from the corner of her eyes.

“Always,” he replied, giving a thumbs up.

She glided her snowmobile, Trepe, from the hangar onto the snow. The snowmobile landed, sending puffs of snow in all directions.

“We go north from here,” she declared, looking at the inbuilt compass next to the speedometer. “Also, brace yourself for the cold.”

“Where are we?” he asked, looking at their surroundings. Everywhere he looked was just a sea of white snow.

“We are in Ghorovas Rift within the region of Vogliupe. This is a treacherous icy terrain enveloped in a perpetual blizzard,” she informed.

They went at slow speed for a while, which made Squall wonder if that was the max capacity of the snowmobile.

“Ready for some thrill?” She asked, breaking the silence.

Before Squall could even respond, Aranea floored the accelerator and zoomed away. Squall didn’t know if he should be thrilled or scared.

The frostbite and the chilly wind felt like it was cutting through the skin, yet the speed at which they were going gave a satisfying thrill. As the speed picked up, the adrenaline took over, giving them a thrill of their life. The snowmobile seemed to glide on the snow almost frictionless.

In spite of low visibility because of the blizzard, they were now close enough to see the giant corporal body of Shiva.

Aranea suddenly braked hard, causing her snowmobile to spin a couple of times. Squall barely held on as it spun out of control, eventually coming to a stop.

“What happened?” he asked, breathless.

“Daemons,” she growled, narrowing her eyes.

Squall immediately looked around, but could not see any threat. “I don’t see any daemons,” he stated.

“Not around you, look beneath you,” she instructed, jumping off the snowmobile.

He looked down, and the snow started to shift on its own. Suddenly, hordes of Snaga came out all around them. The 4 ft monster was relatively weak, but what it lacks in strength they made up with overwhelming numbers.

“Be careful, they like to steal potions from people,” Aranea warned.

Both being seasoned fighters made the fight easier. After clearing the horde of Snaga with relative ease, they continued their journey deeper into the blizzard.

The path got narrower through the snow-covered woods as they progressed, eventually to the point where the trail was just wide enough for their snowmobile.

They soon came to a stop, as the only path forward was blocked off by fallen trees. They got off their vehicles to clear out the path, only to be ambushed by Wraith. It was a 9 ft tall macabre daemon that levitates. It kept its victims at arm's length to grapple and squeeze the very life from its prey.

They were surrounded by 10 Wraith, shutting down any chance of escaping. They closed in on them slowly as both warriors stood there with weapons ready to strike.

“Any bright ideas?” Squall asked.

“Wraiths are slow-moving. If we hit them from the back, we can link up our attacks.”

“You go, I’ll distract them.”

Aranea nodded and with one high jump disappeared from the sight and landed a few feet behind the Wraiths.

Squall released a salvo of bullets from his gunblade at multiple Wraiths enraging them. Some rushed towards him for a physical attack while others targeted him with a magical attack. Squall deflected all physical attacks and used other Wraiths as the cover to dodge the magical attacks.

“Incoming at 6 o’clock,” declared Aranea, preparing a high jump attack.

Squall knew what she meant and replied, “Ready.”

Aranea’s attack the Wraith directly behind Squall and he capitalized on that vulnerability to execute his link attack, Relentless Revolver. Together they decimated the Wraith in one conjoined attack.

Aranea jumped back to create some separation between her and wraiths while Squall drew their attention.

“3,” he heard Aranea say.

“Okay,” he stated, giving the signal to attack.

The Wraith to the right of Squall was decimated next.

Leon and Luna made a balanced team with one focusing on offense and the other providing the defense. Squall and Aranea, on the other hand, were an all-out offensive team, that could devastate the mightiest of foes. They were like a well-oiled machine working in perfect synchronization.

Knowing the fighting excellence of Aranea, Squall never had to worry about protecting her as he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, which made it different from fighting with Luna. Aranea had the same trust in Squall’s abilities, which made them a fierce team.

One after another, they picked off all the Wraiths and continued their journey further.

“This used to be a holy site. Pilgrims from all over Eos would come here to pay tribute to the Goddess of Ice. In M.E. 745, Niflheim slew the awakened Astral Shiva, leaving her gigantic corpse lying in the gorge. A strange phenomenon turned part of the desert wasteland into a dark icy landscape ever since. We lost many lives that day. It is said that those fallen soldiers became daemons and haunt these very grounds,” she explained.

“You mean to say that the Wraith we slay back there were people once?”

“Yes. It changes the whole perspective of the fight, doesn't it?”

“Yeah.”

“Niflheim has started converting civilians into demons to gain an advantage in the battlefield. I don’t agree with that practice. I signed up for the military so I could protect those who can’t protect themselves, not for this. I’ve been thinking about quitting and going back to being a mercenary. But I do love my country too. I am not really sure what to do anymore,” Aranea narrated.

“I see,” he replied, sounding uninterested.

“Is that all you are going to say?”

“What am I supposed to say about other people’s problems?” he replied callously.

“You know are such an ass sometimes. When someone shares their problems, they are expecting you to either console or advise them. And not be indifferent about it,” she chided him.

“I am sorry. I wasn’t trying to be indifferent towards your problem. I just didn’t think that my opinion on this matter would have swayed your decision,” he revealed.

“Why would I ask your opinion if it didn’t matter to me, dumbass? You are my friend, of course, your opinion matters,” she urged.

“Ask yourself, would you be able to do more good by staying with the Empire or against them? If you stay with the Empire, you get information on their movements, research, and can protect civilians. As long as you have something worth protecting, I think you should stay,” he counseled.

“See, was it so difficult to just share your thoughts? You think too much and never say enough, that’s why that scowl never leaves your face. Sharing your thoughts is a necessity in a healthy relationship,” she advised.

“Ya, you are probably right,” he acknowledged.

Once again silence accompanied them as they moved on.

“You haven't said anything, is my charm making you nervous?” she joked, breaking the silence.

“Oh please,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Squall. Is there something on your mind?” Aranea asked.

“Not really,” he replied.

“Not really,” she said, almost in sync with Squall. She broke into giggles.

“What's so funny?” he asked, getting annoyed.

“Funny? No, no, it's not that! I'm just happy. I feel like I'm finally beginning to understand you a little. That's all,” she stated, clasping her hands.

“I'm more complex than you think.” He folded his hands and looked away like a child.

“Then tell me. Tell me more about yourself,” she appealed.

“It's none of your...”

“...Business!” she finished his line and started laughing once again.

“You are annoying,” he fumed, before walking ahead.

They cleared out another horde of Wraiths as they got closer to the fallen Shiva.

“We should walk from here,” she instructed as snow intensified. “Welcome to the resting place of Shiva.”

The cold wind amplified with every step they took towards Shiva. The visibility dropped greatly as the snowstorm picked up. They had to put a hand in front of their face so snow doesn’t go into their eyes directly. The corporeal form of Shiva was hundreds of feet tall. She lay on the ground froze in time. Her entire body was submerged in the snow with her upper torso visible. The expression on her face was of pain and anguish.

Once they got close enough, Aranea shined a laser on Shiva’s face.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“This is a special laser which would refract from a prism. Using this, I am trying to locate the Frozen Tear.”

She had been scanning her face for a few minutes, but she did not locate the legendary treasure. She was starting to believe it was a myth.

“Let me try,” Squall appealed, finally getting tired of waiting in this extreme cold.

“If we don’t find it in the next two minutes, we leave,” she declared, handing him the laser.

The two minutes had gone by and even Squall wasn’t able to find anything.

“We should go now. This was a waste of time,” she complained.

Just as he was retreating the light away from Shiva’s face, Aranea noticed something shinning.

“Wait, I got it. I saw something shining just as you were retreating the light. It was somewhere around her left eye.”

Squall scanned the area carefully. Finally, a rainbow-colored pattern was formed at the edge of her eyes because of refraction from prism-like Frozen Tear. Shiva’s hair covered the edge of her left eye, masking the tear.

“This is awesome,” Aranea exclaimed. “I’ll go get it.”

She tossed her spear towards Shiva and warped there. Her warping was different than the ones Lucian soldiers used, it left a red trail behind indicating magitek use in it.

She proclaimed the mythical treasure while Squall stood there wondering what it would feel like to warp.

“We got it, Squall,” she proclaimed, hugging or rather tackling Squall in excitement.

Squall pushed her off and got up first, “Good. Now, let’s get out of this frozen hell.”

As they were making their way towards the snowmobile, a hailstorm of snow flew in their direction as something huge landed with a thud. They turned around and a 46 ft tall demon awaited them.

“I was wondering where did the Deathclaw go?” Aranea said with an eerie excitement.

Deathclaw had a bulky bone structure. Its name stems from the giant talons on both of its arms. Fighting one is said to equivalent to tempting death itself.

“Let’s get the party started,” she said, readying her spear.

“Aren’t you excited to see him? Your boyfriend?” he suggested.

“No, based on the looks, it must be your relative.” She retorted.

“Whatever,” he said, as he launched into the daemon.

“Squall, be careful of its laser attack,” she warned as she took the aerial route.

Squall unloaded a round of bullets as he ran towards the monster, but it barely flinched. Aranea landed on top of him, impaling her spear, but it shrugged her off.

Both the warriors took turns attacking it from either end, not giving it enough time to use its deadly laser.

A few Wraiths and Snaga emerged from the snow, joining the fray. This distraction gave Deathclaw enough time to conjure its magical laser attacks. The rays spun around it and flew out in straight lines, damaging anything in its path.

Because of snow, Squall’s mobility was severely limited and was unable to dodge the attack in time taking the brunt of the damage.

Aranea landed behind him and healed him with a potion. “Told you to be careful.”

“Sometimes pain brings the best out of you. Here goes, Renzokuken,” he unleashed his limitbreak and followed it up by the Blasting zone causing enormous damage to the beast.

“Not bad. Now watch this,” she jumped and disappeared from the sight and landing square on the Deathclaw with great impact. Her technique, Highwind, was equally effective as Squall’s limitbreak.

The game of one-upmanship carried on as both tried to outdo the other. Which was great for them, but not for the beast.

The Deathclaw created some separation from them and drew its claws together to form a single large laser beam. By now they were familiar with the attack pattern, so they dodged it expertly. However, the powerful laser beam had landed on their snowmobile and bore a hole through the fuel chamber.

Aranea was closer to the snowmobile noticed fuel leaking from the vehicle, “Shit.”

“Squall we need to run,” she yelled.

Squall, who was engaged in close range combat with the beast was oblivious to what had just transpired. “We can defeat this. I got this, don’t worry.”

“Squall, Trepe was hit by the laser attack and our fuel tank is damaged. We have to retreat before all the fuel leaks out.”

“Damn, without snowmobile we would freeze to death walking all the way back,” he realized.

“Come on, hurry,” she urged.

Squall landed one fierce blow on Deathclaw causing it to stumble back. He used this opening to dash toward the snowmobile. Aranea of her part was ready to drive away as soon as Squall gets there.

The snow made it very difficult to run as his feet would sink in the snow with each step he took. Deathclaw had recovered enough by now and started chasing Squall.

Squall was trying his best to run as fast as he can, but the Deathclaw was catching up quickly. “I am not going to make it, you leave and come back for me when you can. I’ll defeat this and find shelter somewhere,” he yelled, running towards Aranea.

“Did anyone tell you that you give out stupid ideas sometimes? I am not leaving you here to die in this cold. Your pill would wear out in a few hours and without it, you would be a statue like Shiva.”

“Come on, be pragmatic,” he urged before turning around and shooting Deathclaw a few times.

“I am not telling your girlfriend that you died under my watch, she would kill me,” Aranea replied.

“Stop being annoying and listen for once. I’ll find a way to survive, trust me.” He commanded.

“Stop being stubborn and listen for once. You don’t have to be a hero every time.” She countered.

The Deathclaw pounced on Squall and he parried its attack in time. He fought with Deathcalw again to damage it enough to create some separation. They were losing fuel with every passing second.

After sufficiently damaging the daemon Squall ran again. He was getting close to the vehicle when Deathclaw got up and lunged itself towards Squall. The demon was right behind him now, he could sense its breath. It raised a claw to take a swipe at Squall when it was impaled with bullets.

Aranea was manning the machine gun on the snowmobile, unloading on Deathclaw. He ran. The monster chased him. And a friend impaled it with bullets to save him. It all felt like a déjà vu.

“You drive, I’ll take care of this,” she instructed.

Squall hopped in the driver’s seat and they sped away while Aranea shoots at the Deathclaw, keep it at bay.

Soon they were out of a narrow trail and into the open and seemingly endless field of snow. They speed away as the fuel gauge was almost empty. Soon the snowmobile came to a standstill.

“Not good. We still have a long way to go. It would take us hours to get to the airship on foot.”

“The sun will set in a few minutes,” he added, further complicating their situation.

“Biggs, can you hear me?” she asked, tapping her communication earpiece. She waited but got no response.

��I think we are still out of range,” she admitted, disappointingly.

“Then let’s keep walking towards it till we get in range,” he suggested and starting to walk.

Neither of them said much as they pondered for a solution for their precarious situation. Considering their distance from Shiva, the chill wind was relatively bearable now, although visibility remained low because of the blizzard.

Aranea kept testing her earpiece frequently, but she got no response. After 20 minutes of walking, Aranea finally connected with Biggs.

“Biggs, can you hear me?”

“Lady A, there is a lot of background noise, I can barely hear you,” replied Biggs. The gushing wind in the background drowned out her voice.

“Squall, can you stay quiet please?” she turned around and said to him.

“What? I haven’t said anything!” he defended, taken by surprise.

“I know, I am just messing with you,” Aranea said with a grin.

“You are insane to be joking at times like this,” he complained, with a facepalm.

“Biggs, Trepe broke down and we are stranded, can you send a rescue team please?”

“All I heard was Biggs, breakdance and rescue,” Biggs relayed to Wedge.

“What? That makes no sense. Let me talk,” said Wedge, taking Biggs’ earpiece.

“Lady A, this is Wedge. Can you please repeat yourself?”

“I said Trepe broke down and we are stranded, can you send a rescue team please?”

“Lady A, we can barely hear you. Can you try from a different location please?”

“Okay,” she resigned.

“What did they say?” inquired Squall.

“They can barely hear me,” she cited, as she marched in the direction of the airship. After walking for 10 more minutes, the wind had slowed down considerably.

“Can you hear me now?” she inquired.

“Yes, Lady A, we can hear you loud and clear,” came the reply from Biggs, who had taken his earpiece back from Wedge.

“Trepe broke down so we are walking towards the ship.”

Biggs tracked her location using the inbuilt GPS in her earpiece.

“Lady A, you are a considerable distance away from the ship. I can dispatch a rescue team but it will be nightfall by the time they get there.”

“What are my options?” she questioned.

“We can dispatch teams to escort you back here. We’ll have to fight daemons on the way back,” he offered.

“No, that would be reckless. We might lose some men if we do that,” she disputed.

“Your safety is our priority, Lady A,” Biggs argued.

“And to keep my crew safe is mine,” she replied instantly.

“But Lady A we--”

“My decision is final. You are not to dispatch any rescue team at this hour.” Her commanding tone left no room for argument.

“Then what can we do?” Biggs asked.

“I don’t know,” she said, unsure.

Squall chimed in, “Aranea you mentioned that this used to be a trail for pilgrims, right?”

“Yes, what about it?”

“Then shouldn’t there be heaven somewhere?” Squall wondered aloud.

“That’s a great idea! Who says you are dumb,” she said, playfully punching his arm.

“No one says that!” he replied, taking an offense.

“You get flustered so easily, it’s almost cute,” she replied with a laugh.

“You are unbelievable,” he hissed.

“Tell me about it,” she replied, with a playful wink.

“Whatever.”

“Guys, is there a haven nearby? This used to be a trail for pilgrims, there has to be a haven somewhere.” She inquired.

“Let us find out and get back to you on that,” Biggs responded.

Biggs frantically scanned the terrain to find any spot where they could get shelter. Wedges dug through the archive data for any clue.

It was over five minutes and she still heard nothing from them.

“Lady A, we found something,” announced Wedge, in an excited tone.

“There is an old haven by a thawed lake just two klicks east from your current location.”

“Great! We can spend the night there. You can send the rescue team at sunrise.”

“You got it, Lady A,” Biggs affirmed.

“What did they say?” Squall asked curiously.

“There is a haven two klicks east from here. If we hurry, we should be able to make it by the nightfall.”

“Let’s go then,” he said, walking in the east direction as the darkness was starting to take over.

Author's notes:

PS: I hope everyone is safe and healthy in this COVID-19 outbreak. Isolate and prevail. Introverts (like me) have mastered this skill lol

6 notes · View notes

platonicone · 4 years

Note

Hello, great work as always! Don't worry, I am working on an illustration but I'm reaaaaaaaaaally slow

Awesome! Looking forward for your work. Take you time :)

0 notes

platonicone · 4 years

Text

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 27 - When need becomes want

What is a cure for longing? I wonder…

The Sun was beating down brightly, peeking through the curtains. All the birds, who wakes people up with their melodies, had retreated to their nest. Aranea impatiently knocked at the door to Squall’s room.

A relentless banging on the door finally woke up Squall from his slumber.

He groggily got up and made his way towards the door to stop the annoying banging. He opened the door, still half asleep.

“Come on, wake up sleepyhead. It’s way past noon,” she announced, irritated.

“Already?” he whined, rubbing his eyes.

“You know, it's not nice to keep a lady waiting. We had a date this morning,” Aranea teased, leaning against the door.

“Sorry, I overslept,” he confessed, sheepishly.

“It’s alright. I have an errand to run, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours. We can go sightseeing then,” she suggested.

“No. He does not step outside of this manor until our medics have checked him,” Luna contested, approaching from behind. “Squall, are you sure you are okay? It is unlike you to sleep so much.”

“I am fine,” he reassured.

“I am worried about you. I know what kind of toll it takes to heal someone,” she raised her concern.

“How did you know?”

“I can sense when Oracle’s powers are used,” she lied, and he bought it. “I’ll have our best medics check on you immediately,” she spoke with urgency, still not making eye contact with Squall.

“I am okay,” he tried to reassure. “I was just tired, that’s all.”

“And you were unconscious for a long time before that. You are getting checked by our medics and that’s final. No more argument.” Her authoritative voice which left no room for disagreement.

“You are not even married and she scolds you like a wife,” Aranea added in a mischievous voice.

“Whatever,” Squall remarked, getting annoyed.

“Squall, you should go freshen up. I’ll have Maria set up the lunch and our medics will come to check on you after that,” Luna proposed.

“Fine,” he resigned.

“I guess we’ll take our tour in the evening,” Aranea said with a shrug.

Squall nodded and retreated to his room.

After getting ready, he went straight to the dining room and found Luna waiting on the table. He looked at the huge standing clock in the room it showed 2 p.m.

“You should have eaten already. It’s 2 p.m., you didn’t have to wait,” he noted, sitting down on the chair.

“I was busy, I just got free,” she spoke, staring at her empty dish.

The retainer quickly brought out food and served them. Maria brought out a special soup for Squall and served him.

After taking just one spoon of it, Squall immediately recognized that taste. He asked, “Did you make it?”

Even though Luna was not looking at Squall, she knew this question was intended for her. Luna glared at Maria, and she responded, “I-I m-made it, Master Squall. Is it not to your liking?”

“It is perfect,” he admitted.

The the corners of her eyes crinkled, and a tiny smile of satisfaction formed on Luna’s lips, which she tried to conceal quickly. Noticing that, Squall said, looking at Luna, “Thank you, Maria.”

“Y-You are most welcome master Squall,” Maria replied nervously.

The rest of the lunch was quiet and uneventful. As soon as the lunch was over, Luna quickly left, giving no chance to Squall to strike any conversation.

Squall retreated to his room where medics were waiting for him.

His medical checkup lasted a lot longer than he would have liked. By the time they were finished, Aranea was already waiting for him.

“Ready to go scar-face?”

“Yeah, can’t get out of this manor soon enough,” he complained.

“Lucky for you, Aranea is here for your rescue,” she declared, giving a thumbs up. “We really need to get you some new clothes. You’ve been wearing that ever since Fociaugh Hollow and it’s starting to stink.” She said jokingly, pinching her nose.

“Whatever,” he shook his head, brushing off her criticism.

Together they made their way out of the manor and into the streets. Upon closer inspection, he found that what appeared to be a floating island were mostly supporting by a column of naturally formed rocks. This whole structure seemed to defy gravity as the top of the column was wide enough to support an entire town, and it got narrower as it reached the ground. This oddity alone made for a spectacular view. The entire town was connected via bridges.

The town looked even more beautiful than what he saw from the balcony of his room. The streets were full of street vendors selling a variety of products such as household items, food, clothes, and herbal medicines. Like rivers merge into the sea, all the bridges converged at the center square.

It was a huge open area with a gigantic fountain in the center and lush green grass surrounding it. The kids played around the fountain, splashing each other with water. The teenager played various games in whatever open space they found. Youth can be seen strolled around with hand in hand. Families huddled together in a picnic. The spectrum of whole life was visible in this area.

There was one bridge to the north which leads to a temple. Hymns from there could be heard in the center square, in spite of all the ambient noise. All these elements combined to create a serene environment.

“To think that war could destroy all this peace,” he commented with a heavy heart.

“A few people’s lust for power can destroy so many lives. War promises the everlasting peace for the victor, but in reality, the only thing war leaves behind is chaos.”

“How ironic that we destroy peace with the promise to create more peace in the future,” he summed up his thoughts, as they moved through the crowd.

He noticed an elevated platform at the far end of the fountain, which he figured must be used to address the congruent mass.

As they moved through the town, Squall couldn’t help but notice the intimidating presence of the Empire soldiers on every juncture.

“Do you normally have so many Neiflhem troops here?”

“Tenebrae is a sacred ground where pilgrims from all over the world get together. The Empire had agreed to have minimum surveillance and occupation here. However, under the pretense of protecting the Oracle due to recent events, the Empire has deployed a whole regiment here. As long as they can keep the Oracle confined to Tenebrae, she is not a threat to them.”

“But Luna’s next covenant is in Altissia. If they block off all the points of exit, that might be a problem.”

“Yes, we are aware of it and we are trying to find a solution for it,” she revealed, getting in a line at one of the food stalls.

Squall gave her a quizzical look.

“This right here is the best street food in Tenebrae.”

They grabbed a bite and then proceeded to an apparel store to get a new wardrobe for Squall.

After sightseeing the town, they finally returned to the manor.

“So....should we?” she asked with a playful wink.

“W-What?”

“You know. I picked you up from your home. I took you on this wonderful date. And now that we are back, do I get a kiss? Or do we go straight to your room? I am sure Luna won’t mind,” she teased.

Squall was shell-shocked to hear that. His face turned beet red in an instant. Looking at his reaction, Aranea broke into a burst of uncontrollable laughter.

“Oh God! You should have seen your face,” she managed to say that between her laughs. “If I knew that’s all it takes to embarrass you, I would have done it sooner.”

Squall was enraged, but he masked his emotions. He stepped forward and took both of her hands in his hand gently. He looked straight into her eyes and said, “Aranea, I have a confession to make.”

Aranea’s laughter disappeared in an instance.

“Ever since I saw the first time, I knew you were special.”

“Oh no,” she mumbled, as dread filled her eyes, but Squall was reluctant to let go of her hands.

“The way you look, the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you smile, and your sense of humor, it all,” he paused for dramatic effect as he saw the color drain from Aranea’s face. “It all makes my blood boil and I hate you so much.”

“Oh, thank God!” she exhaled loudly. “Hate is good. For a while, I thought you were going to say something stupid. It scared the crap out of me.”

“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” he replied with a smirk.

“You son of a--,” instead of finishing her sentence, she kicked him hard in his shins.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“I don’t know, but it felt like you deserved it.”

“What kind of logic is that?” he complained, hobbling on one leg.

“Whatever!”

“Hey, that’s my line,” he protested.

“Whatever,” she repeated slowly.

Once Squall and Aranea parted ways, he went inside the castle. He took a peek at the chamber room and Luna was busy dealing with various delegates. She looked tired. Their eyes briefly meet and she smiled before quickly attending the guests.

He got changed into new cloth, which for the most part was very similar to what he already had. There was still some time till dinner, so Squall decided to explore the manor.

He could oversee a huge garden in the back of the manor, but the door leading to it was locked. That garden looked very familiar to him.

He ventured further into the manor and eventually discovered the royal library. He decided to take a look inside. From the looks of it, half of the library seems to be renovated, perhaps from the fire 12 years ago, he thought. The royal library seemed to contain every book imaginable. Perhaps the only book Squall could use right now was ‘how to understand women.’ Even since waking up on the train, Luna had been avoiding him, and he did not have the slightest idea why. He spends the rest of his evening browsing through various books.

One of the retainers came looking for him when it was time for dinner. Upon entering the dining room, he saw that there were many people already sitting at the table.

‘Great, another awkward dinner.’ He thought.

As expected, the dinner was rather dull with the royals talking among themselves about topics he was least interested in. Without Luna to talk to, he was starting to feel like an outsider. 'No wonder Aranea never stays here.'

As soon as he finished the meal, the medic from earlier came over and gave him two pills. Not wanting to make a scene, he took the medicine and quickly exited the room.

He stood on the balcony of his room, looking around absentmindedly. In matter of a few days he went from being an integral part of Luna's life to an observer. He felt that Luna needed him before, but now he was not sure if she even want him around. They were drifting apart and he wanted to know why. He needed to know why she was distancing herself from him. His mind was confused and his heart was in pain.

The surrounding temperature dropped suddenly as Gentiana walked from behind him and joined him in the stargazing.

“What are you doing here?” Squall asked, surprised to see her.

“I felt your loneliness, so I came to be with you.”

“How did you know?”

“Squall, I am always with you,” she chuckled. “Since I am still junctioned to you, a form of me lives in your mind. I feel all your pain, joy, sadness, and love. I experience it all with you.”

“When you say it like that it sounds very creepy,” he remarked.

“Such is the nature of junctioning. We get to experience what it is like to be human and in return, you get to use our powers,” she spoke with her eyes closed.

“Hmm.”

There was silence once again.

“Squall, I was worried about you.”

“Why?”

“After a very long time, I experienced what fear felt like. When you were suffering at the hands of Ramuh, I was afraid that you might die. I felt your pain and anguish. I wanted to help, I did. But I couldn’t. My duty is to observe and guide humanity and not to interfere with it directly,” she confessed, her internal turmoil was evident in her voice.

“Unable to act on your feelings because you are bound by your duty, I think I can relate to that.”

“How do you find courage when facing your own mortality? You knew that you could have died, so why go through it? Are you not afraid of death?”

“I am afraid of death, just like everyone else. But sometimes you have to ask yourself, is my cause worth dying for?” He stated.

“I do not understand.”

“The thing with mortality is that there is no escaping it. You know someday you are going to die, but you try to make the best out of the limited time you have. You try to give some meaning to your life. Some people find meaning in wealth, accomplishments, friends and family, spirituality, or helping others. At that moment I just had to find my own calling.”

“And what was yours?”

“We all live for ourselves but to live for the betterment of others is a noble cause. One small sacrifice to the betterment of the world. That was my calling.”

“For you, it was more than just that, was it not?” she probed.

“When you care for someone deeply, you find the courage to overcome your fears.”

“You have changed, Squall. You have changed so much. Last time you said, ‘the hell with the world. If she is not with me then what does the world mean to me?’ And now you are willing to sacrifice yourself for the same world. That is admirable.”

“Speaking of that, what exactly happened 'last time’? Why do Astrals want me dead? Who is Arydran, and why does he think we fought together? Why did Ramuh say that I escaped from Bahamut’s exile? What is going on here?” He had asked all these questions before, but Gentiana had avoided answering them every time. He was hoping it would be different this time.

“What is with humans and their fascination with the past?” she wondered.

“I don’t know much about humanity, but if someone is out there to kill me, I'd like to know why.”

“The ‘last time’ as you call it, we refer to it as the Omen,” Gentiana revealed. “Omen was a failed timeline where the prophecy failed and the world was plunged into the darkness.”

“And the Astrals thinks that the prophecy failed because of me?” he questioned.

“You played a key role, one could say.”

“The hell with the world. If she is not with me then what does the world mean to me?” he repeated her line from earlier. “Who is she?”

“She is someone with whom your destiny has been intertwined for eons.”

“That still does not answer who is it?”

“That is for you to figure out,” she replied with slight hostility in her voice. Her tone took Squall by surprised, and he decided not to push this topic any further.

“From what I can gather, Astrals assigned me a mission, and I failed, which plunged the world into the darkness. So now they want revenge. That much makes sense. But you are an Astral too, how come you don’t want to hurt me?”

“Because I,” she seemed to at a loss of words. “Because I am different,” she said, looking at him.

“How? Why?”

“Why the sudden interest in me? I thought we were talking about you?” she tactfully dodged the question.

They must have chatted for at least half an hour before Squall said, “Hey, thanks for coming. It felt great to just let it all out.”

“Anything to put your heart at ease,” she replied with a smile.

“We should do this often,” he proposed.

“I've waited millennia to hear that,” she replied joyfully.

“You are very cryptic and strange sometimes,” he noted, shaking his head.

She smiled and disappeared, leaving behind spectral ice particles suspended in the air.

Squall went back inside the room and lay flat on his bed. “Why can’t anything ever be simple in my life,” he thought as he stared at the ceiling. He fell asleep shortly after.

The next day, he met up with Aranea at their designated training ground. He was still recovering from Ramuh’s attack, but he figured the best way to get back in shape would be by training.

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you,” Aranea warned as she readied her spear.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” he replied, drawing out his gunblade.

She embodies the classic Dragoon class, able to fight airborne, uses jump attacks, wears black armor and wields a lance.

As their duel began, he quickly realized that she was very agile and powerful. Her signature attack is Highwind.

“Did you know that your girlfriend is setting up a healing camp?” she informed him during sparring.

“No way, she is not fit enough for that,” he remarked, as their weapons clashed.

“Tell that to her. We all tried, but she wouldn’t listen. She gave us the same long speech about looking to ease the suffering of others rather than protecting ourselves,” she spoke, deflecting Squall’s attack.

“She can be so unreasonable sometimes,” he stated, blocking her attack.

“You should talk to her,” she suggested.

“I would if she let me. She would do anything to avoid me, it seems,” he revealed.

“What did you do?” she asked, as their weapons clashed again.

“I wish I knew,” he admitted. “I saved her life, and now she is mad at me. I don’t understand women.”

“Ha ha ha,” she laughed mockingly before launching another volley of attacks.

Once his training was done, he returned to the castle around noon. Their meals were quickly becoming a public affair as dignitaries from many provinces joined them frequently. Luna seemed preoccupied with arranging everything for the healing camp.

Squall was once again alone in his room. With nothing to do and no one to hang out with, he was bored out of his mind. Luckily, the atmosphere suddenly got cold around him.

“Gentiana,” he uttered. “I was starting to think that you would not come.”

“I did not know you were waiting for me,” she remarked as a small smile played on her lips.

“Do you want to go for a walk? I feel like a prisoner in this castle,” he proposed.

“Sure, anything to ease your heart.”

Their walk was a perfect calibration of silently accompanying someone and infrequent chat. Even though they did not speak much, they both seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

The next day was the start of a week-long healing camp. He’d hoped that he could talk some sense into her as blessings can take a severe toll on her health, but she had avoided him successfully.

Pilgrims from all over the world flocked to get her blessings. Her day started early with a healing session followed by rest to recover her strength. She would have her lunch at the campsite, and it was followed by another healing session and rest. Their dinner was followed by the same pattern. She only came back to the castle to sleep at night.

At least he used to see Luna at their meals, but even that had stopped now. Even since he woke up, not once did he have a proper conversation with Luna. He needed to know why she was avoiding him, but he would have to wait for the right moment as they were constantly surrounded by people.

Since Luna was always busy, Leon’s day was divided into two halves. Training with Aranea in morning and evening strolls with Gentiana.

His conversation with Gentiana was often very philosophical in nature. Gentiana would often talk about topics such as immortality, karma, spirituality, morality, the meaning of life, etc. While Squall would often talk about duty, dedication, seeking happiness, processing emotions, etc.

One day while returning from their evening stroll, Gentiana suddenly said, “Thank you, for being such a great teacher.”

“What did I teach you?” he asked confused.

“I find it very difficult to understand human emotions. When I try to follow other humans, I get overwhelmed by their emotions. With you, it’s easier to follow since you suppress your emotions so much. It’s like you only process one emotion at a time, which makes it easier for me to learn.”

“Hey! I am more complicated than that,” he protested.

“I believe an appropriate response to that is,” she paused. “Whatever,” she said, imitating Squall.

Squall gave out a sigh, “Looks like I did teach you something after all.”

Gentiana couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. This was the first time he had heard her laugh. Her divine laugh was nothing short of a melody.

He just shook his head, and they continued their evening stroll.

It was morning. The Sun peeked through the sky provided gentle warmth. The sky was different shades of orange. The birds were singing their melodies. A distant hymn echoed through Tenebrae. It was a serene morning, but it was ruined by the frequent clanging of metal.

Squall and Aranea were sparring as per their morning routine.

Aranea had knocked down Squall, which infuriated him. He launched a volley of relentless attacks, forcing Aranea to go on defense.

“Good. Looks like you are recovering your strength,” she praised, blocking his attack.

“Still a long way to go,” he admitted, thrusting his gunblade forward.

“There are still two more days left for the healing camp. How about we take a field trip tomorrow,” she asked, deflecting his attack.

His eyes lit up upon hearing that.

“I am rather bored here, let’s do it,” he affirmed, as their weapons clashed again. “Where are we going?”

“We’ll go treasure hunting for Frozen Tear of Shiva. Tomorrow at 7 a.m.,” she stated, pushing him back.

“Can’t wait.”

During his evening stroll with Genitana he asked her about something Aranea had mentioned in the morning. “Gentiana, what is Frozen tear?”

“Where did you hear that?” she asked, with her eyes closed.

“Aranea told me about it.”

She chuckled in response. “When Shiva’s heart was filled with pain, she cried. Human calls her tears Frozen tear.”

“I did not know that Astrals cried,” he stated bluntly.

“Although we don’t experience the range of emotions that humans do, we do feel some basic emotions like love, hate, anger and kindness to name a few.”

“Why would you cry? You are an Astral,” he asked, still not grasping the concept of mighty Astrals crying like humans.

“Just as humans, when the pain becomes unbearable, tears escape from my eyes,” she said looking at him.

“When were you in such pain?”

“First was when I saw Hyne die in front of my eyes. Next, was when Niflheim attacked me.”

“I wonder how does it—” he was about to say something when Gentiana raised her hand, indicating him to stop.

“We are being watched,” she proclaimed. Her eyes were scanning their surroundings.

“We are in the center square, surrounded by hundreds of pilgrims. Of course, we are being watched,” Squall dismissed her caution.

“No, its him. He is here, I can sense him.”

“Who?”

“The Usurper is watching us.”

Author's notes:

PS: I was wondering if someone can make me an image of Squall x Luna for this story. I would be very grateful for that. Thanks in advance.

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platonicone · 4 years

Text

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 26 - The invisible wall

What is more important? The comfort of the body or the heart? I wonder…

Leon lay there stiff as a tingling sensation ran through his body. The blur in his eye slowly started to take shape. He saw someone peering down at him.

“How are you feeling?” asked a feminine voice.

“My head hurts,” he said, placing a hand on his forehead.

“No kidding,” she replied. “Looks like your eyes are focusing. You should be fine.”

For the first time, Leon was able to make out features of the girl he was talking to. She had fair skin, green eyes, and shoulder-length silver-blond hair. She wore red and black leather armor that had a scaly appearance to it. She had a long white cape with a red symbol. If he had to guess, she must be a dragoon type warrior. A distant memory resurfaced. If only she had blond hair and wore glasses, she would look very similar to someone he used to know from his world.

“Say your name for me,” she asked.

“It’s Squall.”

“Oh boy, it looks like you must have hit your head pretty hard to not even remember your name. I was told that your name was Leon.”

“Only Luna calls me that.” Suddenly all the alarms started going off in his head. “Where is Luna?” he asked, trying to sit up.

“Relax,” she said, pushing his shoulder and making him lie down again. “She is safe with us.”

“And who are you?”

“The name is Aranea Highwind. I am a friend,” she revealed, putting Leon at ease.

For the first time, he had a look around his surroundings and it looked like he was in some sort of a cabin. He noticed the rhythmic movement of the train and pieced this together. “How did I get here? What happened to me?”

“We found you knocked out in Fociaugh Hollow. We rescued you and Luna just in the nick of time. We are on the way to Tenebrae now.”

“How is Luna doing? Last I remember, she lost her consciousness soon after forging a covenant with Ramuh.”

“I don’t know what happened there, but by the time I got there, she had woken up and you were knocked out.”

“Hmm, so it worked, I guess. Can I see her?” he asked.

“No, she is resting right now. You should do the same,” she suggested.

“Yeah, my head feels like it is about to explode,” he admitted.

“I’ll be over there,” she informed, pointing at the opposite berth. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, as his eyes got heavy and he drifted back to sleep.

The rest of their journey was rather uneventful. The train stopped at Fodina Caestino. They used this stop to get out of the train to get some fresh air. However, Luna and Leon’s path never crossed even once. After a day of travel, the announcement ringed through the train. “Next stop is Tenebrae.”

From what he had heard, Tenebrae was supposed to be a very beautiful place and he was secretly excited to see. He peered out of his window as Tenebrae approached quickly. Tenebrae’s beauty was breathtaking and beyond his wildest imagination. The whole city was established on what seemed like floating islands. There were multiple waterfalls cascading from the floating islands, giving it an otherworldly look. The many shades of green covered the entire visible spectrum. The lush green trees, shrubs, vines flourished uninhibited. The beauty of Tenebrae seemed straight from some artist’s canvas.

A knock on his door forced him to look away from the window.

“It’s time to pack up. We should be at the station shortly,” Aranea instructed from the door. They had become good friends in a very short time. She took great care of him ever since he woke up. The fact she was the only person who talked to him also became the catalyst in their budding friendship. For some strange reason, Aranea never felt like a stranger to him. Their conversation often revolved around a military and political strategy and combat. Every time he spoke with her, it felt like he was reconnecting with an old friend.

She waved him goodbye from the door and quickly retreating to her cabin.

“All I have is a backpack. Not much to pack really,” he muttered to himself, putting his toiletries in the front zipper of his bag. He inspected around the cabin to make sure he did not forget anything there. He swung his backpack over his back and exited the cabin. He moved close to the door to get a better view of Tenebrae.

As he was admiring the view, the cabin door close to him slid open, but he paid no mind to it.

“How are you feeling now?” asked a familiar voice.

His heart skipped a beat as he knew who it was. He turned around in the direction of the voice and for the first time since Fociaugh Hollow he saw Luna. He noticed that her eyes seemed puffy and bags under her eyes indicated she hadn’t slept much. “I am doing better now,” he said. “You don’t look so good.”

“It will take some time for your wounds to heal so please take it easy,” she said ignoring his last comment. “I will inform our medics to take care of you. Please let them know of all your symptoms.”

He noticed that she had still not made eye contact with him.

“Luna, I wanted to speak with you about--” before he could finish his sentence the overhead speaker announced, “Welcome to Tenebrae. Please make sure to take all your belongings. Please watch your step as you get out. Thank you for choosing to ride Magna Fortia. We sincerely hope to serve you again on your next journey.”

Aranea, Gentiana and a few other passengers had joined them as well in the corridor.

“Squall, we should exit from different compartments. All the attention would be on Luna, so we should be able to get out undetected with all the pilgrims,” Aranea advised, opening the door to the connecting compartment.

He looked at Luna one last time before following Aranea. He was disappointed that he was not able to speak much with Luna.

“Why are we existing from a different compartment? It’s not like anyone knows me here,” he asked, catching up with Aranea.

“Oh, you will be surprised at how good Imperial surveillance is. Any time you engage with any Imperial troops, your image is uploaded to our database. And based on the number of units you have destroyed by now, I can assure you, you are very famous,” she explained, cutting through the crowd and moving on to the next connecting compartment.

“Combat and surveillance in the same unit is ingenious. I am impressed,” he confessed.

As they entered another compartment, he grabbed Aranea’s hand, “Aranea, wait.”

“What is it?”

“We are being followed at 6 o’clock,” he warned her. He had noticed that a small girl, about 8 or 9 years old, and two middle-aged soldiers had followed them through every compartment so far.

“Oh, they are with us. They are my people,” she revealed, putting him at ease. He nodded and they continued their journey.

The train slowed down and came to a complete halt and the doors slid open. All the travelers poured out of the door.

Aranea had told Leon earlier that in the wake of Luna’s “passing,” thousands flocked to the Fenestala Manor to pay their respects, pilgrims traveling from afar by boat and train. Based on that conversation, Leon was expecting a crowd, but the scene in front of his eyes quite surreal. As far as the eyes could see, the whole station was filled with people.

Leon, Aranea and her crew got out of the train. They blend in with the crowd and made their way towards the only exit from the platform. Even among this crowd, Leon’s eyes were searching for Luna.

Luna got out of the train and was followed by Gentiana. Many other passengers got off behind them.

It didn’t take long for people to recognize Lunafreya. A quiet murmur spread in the crowd as people were still skeptical of what they saw. Luna was announced to be dead, but here she was in the flesh, standing at the train station. One person started cheering and the whole crowd erupted in cheers. People were clapping, whistling, and screaming Luna’s name.

‘Wow, she a celebrity wherever she goes,’ he thought.

He noticed there was a lady dressed in professional attire accompanied by a few soldiers.

“Welcome home, Lady Lunafreya,” greeted the lady dressed in professional attire.

“It is good to see you again, Polisci,” Luna greeted her with a hug.

Leon was at some distance from them so he could not hear them. A royal entourage escorted Luna through the crowd, as the crowd cheered Luna’s every step.

“Now that these many people have seen Luna wouldn’t Empire be alerted of her presence and location?”

“Very perceptive. We want Empire to know that.”

“Why?”

“Circa M.E. 359, when Niflheim invaded Tenebrae for the first time, they did not invade Fenestala Manor, where the royal family resides, due to the masses’ faith in the Oracle. We are using the same strategy here. As long as Luna is here in Tenebrae, in front of the public’s eyes, the Empire would not dare attack her. Did you not see the reception she got just now? Any harm to the Oracle now would cause a huge uproar in Lucis and Niflheim alike. Every faithful in the Eos is now her defender.”

“Using public as her protector is a very cunning strategy indeed.”

“It was all Ravus’s idea,” she confessed.

“Couldn’t we have done it sooner? Maybe like when we were in Lestallum?”

“No, timing is everything. The Empire used the chaos during the treaty signing to declare the death of Lunafreya. Once the world thought that the Oracle was dead, they could kill her without any consequences. It was a brilliant strategy on their part. Revealing herself in Lucis would have either gotten her killed or captured with little public awareness. We had to wait for public support to build up. You were exceptional in shielding her from public eyes in Lucis. Had her location been revealed, Ravus would have been forced to capture her and bring her to Niflheim. God knows what they would have done with her there.”

“Makes sense,” he acknowledged the plan.

“Well, here we are at the much revered Fenestala Manor,” she announced at the entrance of the famous manor.

Squall looked at the building and it looked like a castle right out of a fairytale. He looked at the barbican flanked by the tower on either side. Multiple towers were built on various tactical spots for an ideal defense and were connected by strengthened, solid walls made of gray stone. Crude windows were scattered generously around the walls in fairly symmetrical patterns, along with overhanging crenelations. It was a multi-layered castle with ramparts on each level. He could see a huge purple dome structure at the center of the castle which he assumed was the great hall. The entire castle was built with ashlar masonry.

The guards saluted them as they entered the building. They came to the main hall, which had a spiral staircase leading to the upper floors.

“We’ve been expecting you,” someone said, descending from the staircase. It was the same lady who had escorted Luna from the train station.

“Hello, Lady Aranea. You must be Squall. Lady Lunafreya spoke very highly of you,” she spoke, walking towards them. “My name is Polisci Xuan, but people just call me Xu. I take care of all the administrative duties for Prince Ravus and Princess Lunafreya.”

‘Xu, somehow that name sounds familiar.’ He wondered.

“Follow me, I’ll show you your room,” Xu stated, leading the way. Aranea and Squall ascended the staircase as they followed Xu to the second floor.

Xu opened a huge mahogany door leading to a large room. “This will be your room.”

“Thank you,” he said politely.

“Lady A, would you be staying with us?”

“No, royalty is not my style. I’ll stay in the town as usual,” she respectfully declined.

Xu acknowledged and looked at Squall. “If you need anything, just alert any of the staff. Lady Lunafreya has instructed the staff to attend to all your needs immediately.” Xu waved at them and went to attend her other duties.

“Aren’t you treated like a prince here?” Aranea playfully jabbed at Squall.

“Whatever.” He shook his head and entered the room.

It was a nicely decorated room with teal-colored walls. Sofas and chairs were placed close to the window. There was a lone bookcase on the opposite side of the sofa. A king-size bed was in a secluded corner of the room. Every piece of furniture in the room had intricate carving embossed in it. There were two doors on either side of the bed, which he guessed were for a closet and a bathroom. A crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room tying the appeal of the room nicely. The crystals in the chandelier bounced of soft white light.

“Fancy,” Aranea noted, looking at the room. Squall just shrugged in response.

“I am just happy to get a bed here. Ever since I got to this world I have never slept on a bed.”

“Beds are overrated. They are only worth it if you have someone to share it with,” she remarked with a mischievous wink.

“Where is Luna?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Missing your girlfriend already?” she teased.

“She is not my girlfriend,” he said with a facepalm.

“Whatever,” she said mocking Squall.

“You are so annoying,” he complained.

“Shut it, scar-face,” she chastised him playfully. “Alright, I have to go attend to my monster. Why don’t you rest up now? I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning. I’ll show you around the town. We can even train if you are feeling up to it.”

“Sounds good.”

“Later.” She waved, walking towards the door.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

“For?” she stopped and asked without turning.

“For,” he started but couldn’t come with the right words. “For being there for me.”

“Luna asked me to,” she replied and exited the room, shutting the door behind her.

“Luna...” he said to himself.

Ever since she got back, she was bombarded with information. “The number of pilgrims is increasing by the day. At this rate, we would run out of our medical supplies in two weeks’ time.”

“Can we send out more gatherers to get herbs from the forest of Piztala?” Luna inquired.

“All units are already deployed. Speaking of the forest of Piztala, there was a sighting of a strange white colored alien-like creatures. The report says it kept saying, ‘Hiso.’ Our medic and research units have set out an expedition to learn more about them,” Xu reported.

“Please call them back. Research can wait, we must prioritize healing the faithful first with our medicines,” Luna urged.

“I think we should call back just the medic unit and let the research unit continue,” Xu suggested.

“I disagree. The forest of Piztala is dangerous at this time of the year. Should something happen to the research team, without medics, they would not survive for long. We cannot risk our brightest minds like this.”

“As you wish. Also, there was some unrest because of the Empire in Zoldara Henge province. We tried to defuse the situation as best as we could. But their leader wants to speak with either you or Lord Ravus to share their grievances,” Xu informed.

“Call them tomorrow morning.”

“Also, some merchants have arrived from Altissia. They want to negotiate the trade agreements with you.”

“Let’s meet with them tomorrow evening,” Luna instructed.

“In the evening you are already scheduled to meet with--” as Xu was reporting further, but Luna cut her off. “Xu, can we please talk about everything in the morning? I am exhausted from our travels.”

“My apologies, that was very inconsiderate of me,” she apologetically lowered her head.

“No, you have nothing to apologize for. You are just doing your duties. I can’t thank you enough for taking care of our kingdom in mine and brother’s absence.”

“No need for thanks. This is my home too,” she replied humbly. Luna nodded appreciatively.

Just as they were wrapping up their conversation someone knocked on the door.

‘Who is it now?’ Luna thought wearily.

She looked at the door, and her face lit up. She ran and gave a big hug. “Maria! How have you been?”

“I am doing well my lady. But I could hardly say the same for you. Look how much weight you have lost,” Maria noted, inspecting her closely.

“Now that I am back, I am sure you will make me eat till my stomach is about to explode,” she said cheerfully.

“What would you like to eat my lady?”

“Surprise me. I have missed your cooking so much. I’ll eat anything you cook,” she asserted with a smile.

“In that case, I’ll make your favorite--” Maria was about to say something when Luna interrupted her. “Oh, one more thing. Please make sure in whatever you make there are no olives in it and make it a little spicy.”

“I don’t understand my lady. You love olives and you don’t like spicy food,” she asked, confused.

“Let’s just say that my taste has evolved since,” she replied, scratching her head.

Maria had known her since she was in her crib, it was hard to fool her. Before Maria could ask anything, else Luna changed the subject, “We have a guest staying with us for some time. Why don’t you ask him what he wants to eat?”

“But my lady, you have returned home after such a long time. Shouldn’t you get to pick what you want to eat?”

“Anything he picks is fine with me.”

Maria again eyed her curiously.

Once again Luna pivoted to avoid interrogation, “Matron, can you please deliver this to our guest?” She handed an envelope to Maria.

“Get going. I am very hungry; I can hardly wait. I’ll take a shower and freshen up,” she urged Maria and Xu to get out of her room.

Once they were gone, she shut the door and exhaled loudly. “Can’t catch a break.”

Squall stopped by the window and looked outside to admire the beauty of this town radiating in the sunset. It was a bustling town with traders on the street, kids playing in the open square, families taking a stroll, and worshipers singing hymns. It was hard to imagine such a peaceful town in these chaotic times, yet here it stood against all odds. The street lights had started illuminating the town. Even though his body wanted to rest, his eyes refused to move.

He heard a soft knock on the door, forcing him to get out of his trance.

It was an elderly woman with long gray hair in a ponytail and blue eyes. She wore old-fashioned gray and blue dress with a striped pattern.

“My lord, I am one of the retainers of house Fleuret. My name is Maria, but people often call me Matron.”

‘Matron, that sounds very familiar.’ His mind tried to recall the details, but it failed. His memory of the past was like looking at a blurred image. You could make out the shape, but cannot see any details.

“I will be at your service. Please let me know if you need anything,” she said with a bow.

“Could you do me a favor, please?”

“Anything my lord,” she offered politely.

“Please don’t bow to me or call me my lord. My name is Squall and you can call me that.”

“That won’t be right my lord,” she politely refused.

“I thought you were supposed to do what I say?” he tried to trap her.

“Well, but it would be odd to refer to you with your first name,” she spoke hesitantly.

“It is odd to see such an elderly lady bow down to me. Please, I insist,” he urged.

“As you wish, my lor—umm, Master Squall,” she said with her tough in check.

“I give up,” he said, shaking his head.

“What would you like to eat tonight?”

“Anything is fine,” he replied with a shrug. “If possible, have more olives and make it less spicy,” he added as an afterthought.

“Strange, she just said the opposite,” she whispered under her breath.

“What?” Squall asked, not being able to hear her.

“Oh, please don’t mind me.” She reached out in her back pocket and pulled out an envelope. “Here, Lady Luna asked me to deliver it.”

“What is it?” he asked curiously taking the envelope.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Is there anything you need my lor—umm, Squall?”

“Yes, can I get a towel please?” he asked, after thinking.

“Of course. I shall have one of our retainers bring it to your room. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, that’s all for now,” he concluded as he couldn’t think of anything else.

“I shall call you when the dinner is ready,” she informed before taking her leave.

Squall opened the mysterious envelope and founds lots of gils in it. There was a note along with it which said:

Your backpack can carry only so much. Please use this money freely to buy anything you need. We are not on the run anymore, so please make yourself comfortable here. I shall do my best to make you feel at home. - Luna

“How thoughtful,” he said with a smile, upon reading the note.

“Sir, your towel,” one of the retainers said from the door. Squall took the towel from his hand.

“Is there anything else you need, Sir?” he asked politely.

“I am good for now, thank you,” Squall thanked him and closed the door once the retainer left.

He grabbed his essentials and stepped into the bathroom. He turned the faucet to check for hot water, and he was not disappointed.

“A hot shower, first time after leaving Lestallum,” he said gleefully. “I am going to shower until the water runs out.”

After a hot and relaxing shower, Squall felt like he was born anew.

They had gathered for dinner in their family dining room. Luna sat at the head of the table while Leon sat on the chair next to her. It was only two of them.

Squall waited patiently for her to say something or at least look at him, but she did not.

Even though they were the only two people eating, they were barely alone as her staff constantly kept going in and out of the room bringing warm food.

He waited for the opportune time to talk with her, but every time he started someone entered the room.

Their entire meal was spent in utter silence. This was the first time they had such an awkward meal.

Even though the food was amazing, his mind just wasn’t into it.

Ignoring everyone around them, Squall finally asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Mhm,” was all she said.

There were no other words in the English dictionary he hated more than ‘Mhm.’

Before he could say anything, Maria burst through the door with a container in her hand. “My lady, here is your favorite dessert, Pineapple orange ice cream.”

She served one scoop to Luna and two scoops to Squall.

Xu entered the room and announced, “My lady, some nobles have come to visit you. I have them waiting in the audience chamber.”

“I’ll be right there,” she said immediately. She was looking for an escape, and this was it.

“No, you don’t have to come at this very minute. I was just informing you that after your dinner you have to meet them.”

“It’s not polite to keep them waiting,” she urged and proceeded to quickly finish her ice cream. She got up and left in a hurry.

Squall’s hunger had all but died. He too got up, without even tasting the ice cream. He retreated to his room slightly upset.

He did not have any proper clothes to change into so he had to improvise. He tossed his T-shirt in the corner and lay on the bed.

After all these hardships, he finally got a chance to sleep in a bed. It had just the right amount of softness to it. His body felt like a feather suspended in the wind.

He did not know what heaven was like, but he was sure that sleeping in this bed was the closest thing to it right now.

His mind tried to figure out what was wrong with Luna. Ever since he woke up, she has been acting differently. She was ignoring him and he did not know why. He barely thought for a couple of minutes before he, unknowingly, succumbed to sleep.

Author's notes:

Three new FFVIII characters were revealed in this chapter; Hope you caught them all.

Please leave a comment and brighten my day. Thanks :)

PS: I forgot to mention that I recently wrote a short Harry Porter story about Harry and Hermione called Love is the ultimate risk. Please Check it out if you like Harry Potter lore.

7 notes · View notes

platonicone · 4 years

Note

Hi, keep up the great work! Honestly though, how do you come up with the Easter eggs????? They're so hard and I love it. Knew about the clothes tho

Thanks Anonymous for your words of encouragement. I am surprised that you knew about clothes. Not many people would have picked up on that. As for the easter eggs, it requires some out of the box thinking and some silliness lol This whole story was trying to overlay FFVIII on FFXV so there were many things I could not fit in directly so had to sprinkle them as Easter eggs. For those who catch those Easter eggs its an additional layer of enjoyment I guess. Chapter 25 is up. Go check it out. Thanks for your comments :)

0 notes

platonicone · 4 years

Text

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 25 - Break it to save it

How can you ever repay someone for their kindness and love? I wonder…

Everything started swirling again. The next image to stabilize was of a cave in Fociaugh Hollow.

[This is it. Time to find out what happened to you Leon in that cave?]

“I feel weak because of the covenant,” slurred her words as her eyes closed. “I am so sorr--” her eyes were shut close even before she could finish that sentence. Her body went completely numb. Leon gently tapped on her cheeks, but she was unresponsive. Her body felt cold. He sprinkled some water on her face, but elicited no response from her. He quickly checked her pulse and his heart sank. She had a very low pulse.

“Oh no. Last time she collapsed after the covenant, it took her weeks to recover. What do I do now?” he wrecked his brain for a solution.

‘She would need to be in the care of a doctor. However, the closest clinic from here is back at Lestallum, which might still be occupied by the Imperials. We would travel all the way there just to be captured by the Imperials. Even if Imperials are not there, it will take a while to arrange for a car and get to Lestallum. I need something immediate to help her. What can I do?’

As he was wondering suddenly, a radical idea sparked in his head, ‘What if she gets captured by Imperials? They would immediately take her back to Gralea. Judging by the quality of their airships, they are bound to have state-of-the-art medical facilities. I can infiltrate Gralea and break her free once she has recovered. I’d rather her be captured than be dead.’

It was a risky plan, but that was the most pragmatic solution he had at this point. It would give Luna her best chance to survive. With his heart set on turning over Luna to the Imperials, he kneeled next to her and carried her in his arms. It was then he saw her trident; he had a eureka moment. An instinctive smile came on his face. “This has to work,” he said with a new hope.

He placed Luna back on the ground and pick up her trident. He closed his eyes to clear his mind and focused his energy.

He kneeled next to Luna and gently took her head in his hands, making sure that the trident in his hand does not hurt her. He leaned closer to her until their forehead touched.

A golden light begins emanating from where their foreheads meet.

“Blessed Stars of life and light, deliver us from darkness’ blight,” he spoke, hoping for a miracle.

It felt strange and unreal. He felt the energy from his body leaving. He slowly backed away and opened his eyes, hoping that Luna would do the same.

Much to his dismay, Luna still remained unconscious.

He had seen Luna cure people of their ailment with her blessing. He rationalized that he should be able to do the same since he shared some of Luna's essence.

“This was supposed to work. Since I have Ramuh’s divine energy in me, this should have surely worked. Did I say it right? Was it blessed stars of life and light or was it light and life? No, I am sure it was life and light.” He looked like a madman just talking to himself. “Maybe I should try it again.”

Once again, he held Luna in his arms and touched his forehead. “Blessed Stars of life and light, deliver us from darkness’ blight.” A golden light emanates from where their foreheads meet, this time with stronger intensity.

He felt a wave of dizziness and let go of her. She did not wake up, which frustrated Leon.

“What am I doing wrong? Is my healing power not transferable? It must be doing something because every time I do it, I feel weaker. Also, every time I touch our forehead, the golden energy radiates between us, so something must be happening. Am I not doing it long enough?” he wondered endlessly.

While wondering his mind even went back to Dr. K’s suggestion. ‘No, I am not kissing her, that’s a stupid idea,’ he shut down that thought even before it materialized. He was all out of ideas now.

“Maybe the third time is the charm. If it doesn't work now, I am turning her over to the Empire.”

He took Luna into his arms again and once again the golden light immediately started emanating around them. “Blessed Stars of life and light, deliver us from darkness’ blight.”

The golden light around them burned bright like fire. Leon was battling waves of dizziness with each second he held on. Determined to wake her up, he held on to her for two minutes.

[No! You are not supposed to heal for so long. Anything beyond one minute could be fatal.]

He felt as if his very consciousness was quickly shutting down. By the time he decided to let go of her, he felt his body go numb. His consciousness faded as he collapsed next to Luna.

‘No, no, no. This is not good,’ was his last thought before everything blacked out.

For a brief moment, both Luna and Leon lay unconscious in this cave.

Luna bolted up with a sharp deep breath. Her heartbeat was racing, and she was sweating profusely. Her eyes were still dazed, and she felt like the room itself was swirling.

“Are you okay?” someone asked, holding her from her shoulders.

Once the dizziness subsided, she became more aware of her surroundings.

“Luna?” asked the same voice again.

She looked in the voice's direction and within seconds the blurriness in her eyes disappeared, revealing Aranea supporting her.

“Arae?” Luna said, weakly.

“Yes?” she said. Aranea grabbed a bottle of water and offered it to Luna, “Here, have some water, it might help you feel better.”

She drank the water and sat quietly. Her breathing was slowly getting normal .

“Arae, I know what happened. I know how to save him,” she spoke softly.

“I am glad you found the answers you were looking for,” Aranea said rubbing her back. “What did you see?”

“I saw his love, pain, devotion, and sacrifice for me,” she intoned, pausing after each word.

“Hmm.”

“Arae, I need some time alone. There is a lot to process.”

“Are you sure you will be okay on your own?” She asked with concern.

“Yes. I am just a bit overwhelmed with everything that I saw.” Luna reassured.

“What did you see?”

“I’ll tell you later. But for now, I need to be alone.” Luna requested.

Respecting Luna’s wish, Aranea got up and made her way towards the door. She stopped when Luna called out for her. “Arae, could you do me a favor, please?”

“Yes?”

“Can you please arrange for a different cabin for me?”

“What?”

“Once he wakes up, I shouldn’t be with him,” she said, looking down.

Not wanting to probe any further right now, Aranea decides to comply, “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Arae.”

“I will be next door. Call me if you need something,” Aranea stated while sliding the door shut.

Luna made her way to Leon’s berth and sat beside him.

In an empty cabin, it was only Leon and Luna now. Though she sat next to him, she felt light-years away from him. She was looking at a person who had loved unconditionally and all she did in return was to abandon him at the time of his need.

No coherent sentence formulated in the head. Her heartfelt tears screamed everything she could not voice. The music on the overhead speaker masked the sound of her wailing. She hugged Leon and cried to her heart's content. The music faded away and a new song picked up: Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips.

The lyrics of the song resonated with the pain in her heart. As the song played the memories of their time together flashed in her mind. She recalled all the times they had fought, loved, cared and sacrificed for each other. She realized that in every instance he had always done more for her than she did for him.

According to Luna, her abandoning Leon for a covenant with Ramuh was the defining moment in their relationship. He had every right to hate her after that. But even after that, he gave up his own health to heal her. That is not love. That is devotion. For once in her life, she wasn’t sure she could have such devotion.

Through her tear-filled eyes, she was looking at one person who had loved her more than anyone else in the world.

She started in a broken voice. “Though the fates may not allow us, my heart will always beat for you. You showed me what love is, how wonderful it feels and how easy it is to lose it. When confronted with a choice between love and duty, I am sorry I choose my duty. Words may never express how sorry I am for abandoning you. I pray that you forgive me. No, that won’t be fair, I hope I get to suffer the pain I have caused you. If I cannot even stand for the one I love, then I am not worthy of such love. Although I’ll never say this again in person, for whatever it’s worth, I love you, Leon.”

She caressed his face gently as if he was made of glass and would shatter with the slightest pressure. “I know this is wrong, but this is the only chance I’ll ever have. So just add this one more thing to the list of things I shouldn’t be forgiven for.”

She leaned closer and kissed him as if her life depended on it. Her brain and body experienced euphoria and pain simultaneously.

She slowly and reluctantly got and grieved, “I wish I had freedom to love you.”

She wiped away her stubborn tears, who refused to stop flowing. She moved close to him and touched her forehead to his. A divine golden light started shimmering from the point of contact.

“Blessed Stars of life and light, deliver us from darkness’ blight.”

She stayed in that position until she felt Leon stir. It gave her heart immense relief to know that he was conscious again.

Knowing that he will be awake soon, she got up and made her way to the exit. She held on to the door as a wave of dizziness hit her. Before stepping out of the door when she turned around to look at him one last time. As she slid the door close, she quietly said, “Goodbye. Leon.”

As soon as Luna closed the door to Squall’s cabin, she called for one person who had some answering to do.

“Shiva!” Luna growled in anger. She rarely referred to Gentiana as Shiva.

“The Lady called?” asked Gentiana, appearing next to her. Her eyes were closed as usual.

“We need to talk.”

“What is it that the lady wishes to discuss?”

“I believe you have something that belongs to Squall, Stiria,” Luna uttered with unmatched fury.

“How does the lady know about that?” Gentiana asked, clearly taken aback. Her eyes were now fully open.

“He might not recognize all forms of you, but I do,” Luna revealed, staring straight into her eyes.

“How does the lady know about that?” she repeated. “Squall never told you of that.”

Luna knew that one way or the other, Gentiana would find out her means to get this information so she revealed the truth. “I used Umbra’s powers to look at Leon’s past.”

“Isn’t that a breach of his privacy?” Gentiana calmly pointed out.

“You no longer have a moral high ground to tell me what’s right or wrong, Stiria,” Luna retorted with hostility unbeknownst to her. “You deceived him.”

“So, have you,” Gentiana shot back with a coldness worthy of only Shiva.

“I-I...,” Luna was at the loss of words. “I am sorry. I shouldn’t be hostile towards you without knowing the truth,” she remarked, shaking her head.

“It’s okay. The lady has nothing to apologize for. Her fury is merely a reflection of her care for the visitor. I am aware of how it might look like a betrayal without proper context.”

“Then please help me understand what is going on? Why did you do it?” she pleaded.

“Rest assured, I want the same as you. To safeguard the future for the visitor.”

“And how is taking away his Griever doing that?”

“Though my actions may seem devious, my intent was to ensure that history does not repeat itself. Last time he summoned Griever and along with the Usurper waged a war against the Astrals. I am simply taking away his means to summon Griever so he does not repeat the same mistake.”

“What happened during Omen? I beg of you to please tell me,” she pleaded. “I ask you not as an Oracle but as a friend.”

“Friend, you said?” Gentiana clarified. “Why must you be so concerned with the past for you cannot change it?”

“Past may not be changed, but it can be learned from. You had said that our fates have been intertwined for eons. Which means the last time I must have been there too. Since Squall rebelled against the Gods and fell from their grace, it means I wasn’t able to guide him to the right path. I need to know what I must do to protect him this time.”

“I have been telling you the means to save him rather constantly. Have I not?”

“What do you mean?” Luna had a vague idea of what she meant but wanted further clarification.

“Walk on the chosen path and fulfill your duty, that shall serve as his redemption too. Walking on your path would give him the strength to fulfill his trial as well.”

“What trial does he have to go through?”

“The one which he failed last time: accepting the will of God. He was entrusted by the Astrals to lead the fight against the impending darkness. He was the chosen one. However, when his beloved Oracle Stella was drawing her last breath in his arms, he prayed to the Astrals to grant her a new life. Unfortunately, we could not grant his wish. To him she was his world, but to us the world was a lot bigger than just them. If we grant her life then how can we deny someone else of the same privilege? He could not accept her death as part of her fate.”

Luna could tell that there was more to this story than what she was letting on.

“His choice to try to protect the one he loved over his providence plunged the whole planet into eternal darkness.”

Luna recalled Ramuh’s words, “His heart desires not for the protection of the star but for only one. That makes sense now.”

“If you have seen his memories, then you must know how he feels about you. Should you fall, do you think he will accept it as God’s will or challenge it?”

“The history will repeat itself,” she drawled, as the gravity of the situation dawned on her. “Which also means that he loved me last time too and he couldn’t let me go?”

“Yes, he loved you dearly the last time and for many lives before that,” Gentiana revealed. Luna wasn’t sure why, but she felt a hit of sadness in Shiva’s tone. “So long his heart is bound to you, he won’t be able to move on. You must release his heart.”

“You mean to say break his heart further than I already have?”

“If that is what it takes to save him, then yes,” she replied with coldness befitting Shiva. "Make him hate you."

“I think he already does,” she remarked as sadness clouded her features.

“He wouldn't have tried to heal you in Fociaugh Hollow if he did. I have seen his thoughts and feelings. He still loves you.”

Her words were supposed to bring her comfort but it brought a stabbing pain for she could not love the one who loved her unconditionally.

“You would do well to keep your distance from him. Push him away. Show no emotions.” Gentiana suggested stoically.

“I've hurt him enough. I can't do that.” Tears shimmered in her eyes.

“Sometime you have to become a villain to protect the one you love.”

She squeezed her eyes shut to stop her tears.

“The choice is yours. The closer you are to him, the more chances of him turning against the Gods when the time comes.”

“Why even give me a choice when I have none,” she lamented with a sigh of resignation as tears stained her cheeks.

Gentiana remained silent.

“Why did you bring him here, Gentiana? Wasn’t my life hard enough already? Why make me go through this pain?” Luna broke down in tears.

Gentiana moved close to Luna and hugged her. “I’ve learned that when someone is distressed, hugging them ease their pain.”

Luna cried on her shoulder while Gentiana stroked her head gently like a mother would do to console a child. This was the most human-like behavior Luna had seen from Gentiana so far.

‘Oh Luna, how can I tell you that it was you who brought him here, not I.’ Gentiana closed her eyes and recalled the events of that fateful day.

Luna was tending to her garden as with Umbra in tow when Gentiana approached her.

“Lady Lunafreya,” she called.

“Gentiana, it is great to see you,” Luna greeted her.

“Happy birthday, my lady,” she said with her eyes closed as usual. A small smile played on her lips.

“Thank you,” she replied with a radiant smile. It was her 24th birthday.

“I’ve come to learn that it is a human tradition to offer a gift to someone on their birthday. I bear no materialistic objects, but I can grant you a boon. What might my lady wish?” she offered.

“Oh, that is very kind of you Gentiana. I have everything I need.”

“Perhaps you do, but what is it that you want? What does your heart desire?”

Luna picked a sylleblossom flower from nearby and spoke longingly, “My heart desires only to be united with my one true love.”

A strong squall blew through the area. Lunafreya let go of the sylleblossom flower in the wind and its pestles were scattered in all directions. Umbra ran after one of the pestles and disappeared from the sight.

“When the time is right, you will be united with your love,” Gentiana declared, finally opening her eyes. 'Fate always unites you before ripping you apart.'

Author's notes:

In my 230k+ words of writing various stories this is the FIRST time I've let the protagonist kiss in my story lol

*Happy Valentines day*

Now back to torturing my characters. In next chapter we go to beautiful Tenebrae.

The answers from the last chapter:

1) Which game is Stiria from? (I had mentioned about her in chapter 17. I am surprised no one picked up on it.) - FFXIII

2) Which game is the book Durai Papers from? - Final Fantasy Tactics (one of my favorite games)

3) Which game is the book LOVELESS from? (This one is super easy) - FFVII

4) Which game is the book The Song of the Savior from? - FFXIII-2

5) What is significance of number 41,269 in FFVIII? - This is Squall's student ID number in FFVIII

6) What is significance of 1,370,000 Gil? (If you can answer this one, without googling, then you should be crowned as FFVIII Champion. This is a hard one.) - If you go to Dollet after passing SeeD exam. You encounter NPC at Dollet-Beach Stairs. When you talk to him he recognizes Squall as one who ran away from the huge robot and demands 1,370,000 Gil for the repairs to the city.

Please leave a comment and brighten my day. Thanks :)

Author's corner:

I wanted to give a shout out to YuukiAsuna-Chan, Anonymous person on tumblr, vifame, and Animefan09 for your constant support in this journey. I sincerely appreciate your comments and feedback on this story. Thank you :)

2 notes · View notes

platonicone · 4 years

Text

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Since Luna is looking into Squall's past, her thoughts will be presented like [this in square brackets.]

Chapter 24 - Since the dawn of time

Would it be any different this time? I wonder…

Luna felt like the world around her was distorting and swirling uncontrollably. All the spinning came to a stop as everything around her became a blend shade of gray. She looked around and everything seemed gray and devoid of any light.

[Am I seeing things through his eyes?]

As far as his eyes could see, he saw nothing by emptiness. Dark voids swirling all around him. His legs can barely carry the weight of his own body, yet he walks. He walks till he reached the edge of the cliff and all he can see below was endless void. He was stranded on a floating rock with nothing but darkness around him. With nowhere to go and no one to call, he finally understood the gravity of his reality. This was it. He was lost is a time-compressed world with no way back home. He did not know how many days, months or years it had been since he got here. For him, there was no past, no present and certainly no future. As a soldier, he knew that he was always dancing with the grim reaper, but when facing the concept of his own demise, he realized that he was not ready for it.

His legs finally gave out, and he collapsed on the floor. The world around him was devoid of any light, just gray haze swirling around eternally. It was as if the atmosphere around him was a reflection of his own self; devoid of any hope and light. He might have saved the world, but in the end, he couldn’t save himself; such is the fate of a hero. With his head hung low and spirit even lower, he let out one last howl. All he heard in response was a wailing of his own voice, echoing back. His eyes were getting heavy and his breathing was shallow and erratic. He felt like his consciousness was slowly drifting away from him. He was giving up.

He always thought that his last breath would be on a battlefield, yet here he was fighting against only demons from within. There were many who loved and celebrated him, yet here he was all alone. His whole life he fought like a lion, yet here he was tamed and defeated by fate. As if watching an old movie, his life started flashing in front of his own eyes one by one. The people he loved, things he cherished, his hopes and dreams; it was all about to become history. A single tear rolled down his left cheek as his life was about to become a fragment of a lost memory. His head fell back, and he was ready to collapse on the ground, silently awaiting his fate as his consciousness was shutting down.

Suddenly, something caught his eyes. It was a vivid blue petal swinging back and forth in a swirling haze of gray slowing drifting towards him.

[Is that Sylleblossom petal?]

He extended his hand as the vivid blue petal slowly floated towards him and gently landed on his open palm. Upon inspecting it from close proximity, he realized that it was a petal from a flower the likes of which he had never seen. He closed his fist to make sure it does not fly away from him. He momentarily closed his eyes, trying to make sense of all this. Suddenly, he heard a dog barking. His eyes immediately shot open and saw a dark-colored spitz-type dog with glowing yellow eyes staring right at him.

[Umbra!]

The dog was wearing a green rope around his neck and front legs and was carrying a small diary. Squall tilted his head curiously looking at this canine. The dog barked twice and shot past Squall with amazing speed. It stopped right at the edge of the cliff. The dog turned its head around and barked at Squall as if coaxing him to come closer.

Still dazed, Squall was trying to figure out if any of this was actually happening or was this all just part of his imagination. Before he could think any further, the dog bark at him one more time and then jumped off the edge of the cliff. Squall stretched out a hand as if to stop it, but even before Squall could react, the dog had disappeared into the void below completely out of his sight.

He pulled himself to the edge of the cliff trying to contemplate what was going on. First, there was a petal and now a dog. As if on cue, the petal in his hand started glowing. He opened his fist, and the petal flew out of his hand and slowly drifted in the same direction the dog went. Eventually, that too disappeared in the haze below the cliff.

‘Should I follow it? Is this petal trying to show me the way?’

He looked around at his surroundings once more and everything was still very grim. As far as eyes can see, it was an endless swirl of gray haze with no sign of life around.

‘If I stay here, I am going to die anyway, so might as well take a leap of faith and see where it leads.’

He took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff in the same direction where that dog and a blue petal had gone. He was in a freefall and soon everything became a blur.

The next thing he remembers was lying on the soft ground and trying to open his eyes. He briefly opened his eyes and was suddenly blinded by the intensity of the light. He immediately closed his eyes shut. After a second or two, he slowly tried to open his eyes again, this time giving time for his eyes to adjust to the pouring light. He looked at the clear blue sky and a glowing sun radiating in it. He sat up and looked around and much to his awe he was surrounded by blue flowers, same as the petal he had found earlier.

[This is my Gardens at Fenestala Manor. What is going on here?]

He was curiously marveling at the beauty of the flowers around him when he heard a distant bark. He immediately got up on his feet and tried to follow the direction of that sound. He had barely taken a few steps when he noticed that same dark-colored dog. Once their eyes met, the dog barked at him and turned around and started walking. Squall followed the dog. After taking a few steps, Squall stopped in his track.

‘The last thing I remember was jumping off from that cliff. Now I am here in the middle of this serene blue flowerbed.’ He looked around and absorbed the surrounding beauty.

‘It is very quiet and peaceful. Is this heaven? Am I dead?’ He wondered scratching his head.

‘I have never died before, so I don’t really know what happens after death. Does everyone find flowerbed and a weird dog at their end? If this is heaven, then I am very disappointed,’ he thought with a scowl on his face.

[Luna couldn’t help but giggle hearing Leon’s thoughts.]

As if to break him from his trance, the dog barked once more, drawing his attention.

‘If I am conscious to ask all these questions, then I must be alive,’ he concluded with a shrug.

‘How am I alive, though, that is a mystery?’ he continued thinking while following the dog down its track.

After a while, the dog stopped and sat down next to someone. Squall’s eyes followed the stranger next to the dog.

She was of fair skin with black hair. She wore a black gown with white wraps on her sleeves that flow down into a tail-like clothing. She adorned black thigh-high open-toed stiletto-heeled boots and her nails were painted in a dark metallic hue. “You came,” she said, with her eyes closed.

“I have been waiting for you for a very long time, Squall. It is good to finally see you again,” she spoke with a faint smile, while her eyes still remained closed.

“Who are you and how do you know my name?” Squall wondered aloud.

“Forgive me, perhaps I should have properly reintroduced myself.” She finally opened her eyes. “I am known as Gentiana.”

“Gentiana?” he asked, with one eyebrow slightly raised, noticing her olive-green eyes.

Understanding Squall’s confusion, she clarified, “Perhaps you would rather recognize me with my Astral name, Shiva.”

“Shiva,” his eyes widened as he said the name. “But Shiva is a Guardian Force.”

“Being like us are known by various names across realms. Guardian force, Summon, Eidolon, Esper, Aeon, Avatar, Primal; they are all our names. In this land, we are known as Astral. We are in charge of protecting the realm we serve.” “Where am I here?” he asked, looking around.

“It seems that fate has brought you back to the world of Eos. Unfortunately, this planet is dying. It will soon become a place where no hope or dreams can survive. The providence states that only the Oracle and the True King can overturn such a fate.” She explained.

‘That is none of my business. Just tell me how do I get back home,’ Squall thought dryly.

“The Oracle has embarked on a perilous journey, the one she might not survive alone. If she falls, all hope for this world will be lost. You are to be her champion and protect her.” She took a short break before continuing, “If you can safeguard her in the trials of Six Astrals then I shall grant you the passage back to your world.”

“So, her safety in her trials for my return home? Sounds like a simple mission,” he said confidently.

Gentiana chuckled. “That is over-simplifying things."

‘Whatever.’

Gentiana closed her eyes and spoke with a tinge of concern in her voice. “You do not understand the gravity of your undertaking,” she states, slightly shaking her head. “To survive these trials, you would have to be her sword and shield. She may be a beacon of light to many, but you must guide her in her hour of darkness. When she falters, you must be her strength. For in her success lies your own and of this world.”

‘No pressure at all,’ retorted his mind.

“You must go now, the champion of the Oracle. I can sense the lady is in grave danger,” she claimed, her eyes were still close.

“Wait! I still have many questions,” Squall protested.

“Time is of the essence,” she said, in a cold voice. “Umbra, take him there,” she instructed.

“At least tell me who she is. Who am I supposed to protect?” he pleaded.

Before Squall could say anything else, Umbra’s time-warping magic engulfed him.

Everything around him started to swirl and contort. Squall felt as if he was in a freefall. Everything around him started to whiz past him until it all became a blur.

Next thing he saw a giant Titan hurling a boulder towards someone. He saw a petite figure erecting a shield to prevent the direct impact of the boulder. Titan slammed his fist close to her sending her flying.

‘That idiot is going to get herself killed.’ He thought before rushing to her aid.

Everything started distorting and swirling again for Luna. The next image to stabilize was of Lestallum.

She saw Leon’s struggles during the time she was asleep. She saw him skipping meals to save money to pay for her bills. She saw him carry her across the town with a broken arm. She saw him talking to her and taking care of her. She saw everything she was unable to see before.

She was losing her battle against tears after seeing everything Leon did for her.

Once again, everything started to distort and swirl. The next image to stabilize was of Taelpar Rest Area.

Luna pulled the car in the parking lot of the Taelpar Rest Area. Leon grabbed a few things he had to deliver from the trunk and disappeared from sight while Luna filled up the gas.

After finishing his chores Leon was walking back towards the car when he heard an elderly voice coming from the sidewalk, “Hello young man, would you like to buy something from this old lady?”

Leon glanced in the direction of the voice to notice an old lady with a dark complexion and a light patch around her right eye. She sat along the footpath with all her books spared on a small cloth. Without browsing her wares, he said, “I am sorry, I am not interested.”

“I have some of the rarest books you will ever find,” she tried to entice him as he was about to leave. He was not a particular fan of books, but Luna was, so he decided to browse the books she was selling. “Show me what you got.”

“Ah a book reader, are you?” she asked.

“I am not, but my friend is,” he revealed, scanning all the books on offer.

“They call me Stiria,” she introduced herself.

[Stiria? I know that name.]

“Squall,” he introduced himself.

“What a unique name you have,” she complimented, to which he nodded in response. “What kind of books does your friend like?”

“Fantasy, adventure, and romance I guess,” he said, trying to recollect what Luna had said earlier.

“Then how about this book? Durai Papers by Orran Durai? It's quite a tale of faith, power, and betrayal.”

“No,” he said, disinterested.

“If you are looking for something more romantic, then I’d recommend LOVELESS,” she offered.

“Nah,” he looked at the cover page and chose to keep looking.

“Might I interest you in, ‘The Song of the Savior?’” she offered again.

He shook his head and continued to browse. Nothing caught his eyes, so he decided to walk away.

“Wait, how about this?” she picked up a book buried under the pile of other books.

“No, I am not interested,” he replied, even without turning.

“Not interested even in Wishing Upon A Star?” she asked in her shaky voice. He froze in his steps when he heard that. He quickly turned around and went back to her. He looked at the cover and it was indeed that rare book he had heard from Luna.

“This is the only remaining copy of this book,” she offered her book so Squall could see it up close.

He examined the cover, and it was indeed ‘Wishing Upon A Star.’ “How much for this?” he asked eagerly, still not believing his eyes.

“I can sell it to you for 1,370,000 Gil.”

“Woah! That’s an absurd amount of money for a book.”

“This is a bargain, I tell you. On the black-market, this would fetch a lot more.”

“I don’t have that kind of money,” he admitted, shaking his head.

“How much can you afford for this?” she asked.

Leon emptied his wallet and his pockets to gather all the cash he had on him. He counted everything, and it added up to 41,269 gils. Accounting for their upcoming journey and its associated expenses, he proposed, “I can offer you 25,000 gil at the most.”

“Dear, that won’t do. This book is worth far more than that. I can’t do it for that price,” she asserted, gently taking the book back from his hand.

Leon knew he had nothing more to offer, yet his feet refused to move.

After one minute, Leon was still standing there, contemplating what else he can offer for it. “Besides money is there anything else I can do for you to make up for this price of this book?”

“I am an old lady with simple needs. All I need is some money to live out the rest of my days in comfort.”

Leon was disappointed to hear that. He was hoping that maybe he could help her out with a quest or some errands to make up for the cost of the book.

Even though Luna would have loved to have this book, he knew he couldn’t afford it. He had to go now.

He turned around and started walking away with a heavy heart. He had only taken a few steps when he heard Stiria say, “Perhaps there is one thing we can trade.”

This was music to his ears. With a spring in his steps, he rushed back to her. “What can I offer you?” he asked eagerly.

“I noticed that pendant of yours. Is that Griever? The avatar of the God of death?” she asked curiously.

“Yes, you know of him?” he was surprised that she recognized it.

“Yes, the legend says that the Maker created Eos, the Goddess of life, and Hyne, the God of death. Eos gives life to all creatures on the planet, while Hyne harvests their soul at the end of their mortal life and returns it to Eos. Together they were to maintain the equilibrium of this and many other worlds. Their harmony soon blossomed into love unlike any other. Their love was pure, but tragic. They were like day and night. Neither complete without the other, yet they can never be together. They were destined to be apart yet it didn’t stop them from loving each other.” She took a brief pause as if recollecting the details before continuing.

“But there was another. The God of war, Bahamut, a close friend of Hyne who also loved goddess Eos, but she had eyes only for Hyne. The God of War got jealous and out of spite he secretly corrupted humanity with vices like ego, stubbornness, jealousy, anger, lust, and greed. Humanity, now intoxicated by these vices, started destroying the planet for their selfish gain. Eos loved humans, so to see her children getting corrupted broke her heart. Hyne felt Eos’s pain and decided to erase corrupted humanity so Eos could create life anew. Being opportune as always, Bahamut instigated humanity to fight back against Hyne and provided them with magic and technology to do so. Hyne was the God of death, he would not be defeated so easily. He was fierce as a lion on the battlefield, but the constant war was wearing him down. It was only a matter of time before Hyne would fall against humanity, secretly backed by the God of War himself. However, the true victim of all this was Eos, as she had to witness a war between the one she loved and the one she created. She realized that the only death of humanity or Hyne would end this war,” Stiria paused once again. Leon was really intrigued by this story wanted to know more.

“The ever-opportunistic Bahamut approached Eos and offered to put an end to this war in exchange for her love. It was his time to be her knight in shining armor, or so he thought. Eos was appalled by the very idea of loving another and rejected him. Enraged from this, Bahamut devised a cunning plan to kill Hyne. Bahamut joined Hyne as an ally in the battle of Pitioss. Shiva, a faithful friend of Eos, had learned of Bahamut’s plan and tipped her off. Eos rushed to the battlefield along with Shiva to save Hyne. Unbeknownst to anything, a battle-weary Hyne was surprised to see Eos there. A momentary vulnerability was all Bahamut needed to plunge his sword in the back of Hyne. But he did not stop there. Bahamut conjures his many swords and was about to strike him down Hyne as Eos begged him to stop it. Eos finally gave in and said that she loved Bahamut, hoping that he would spare Hyne. Those words hurt Hyne more than any weapon could ever. Bahamut was merciless. His many swords plunged into Hyne’s body from the back as Hyne bellowed in pain. Hyne died thinking his love had betrayed him. Eos screamed in agony as Bahamut swords severed Hyne’s body in half. He tossed half of Hyne’s body to humanity who had served him so well in his grand scheme. Humans would learn to harness Hyne’s powers by means of sorceresses. He then tossed the remaining body to wailing Eos,” Stiria narrated.

“Eos cradled the remains of Hyne's body and tried to revive her fallen lover, but it was too late. By splitting Hyne’s body into two, Bahamut had fragmented his essence as well. To preserve the remains of Hyne, Eos congregated his remaining essence into a pendant and a ring. That pendant and the ring would go on to be known as Griever: a symbol of the grieving hearts of Hyne and Eos. Thundering laughter echoed through the atmosphere as Bahamut rejoiced his victory in conquering his lover. With fury in her eyes, Eos proclaimed that she would never be his. She claimed her life by her own trident, which will later be known as the Trident of the Oracle. Her essence was concentrated into the crystal, the soul of this planet. Her mortal body became one with the planet as she too died grieving for her lover. Hyne died thinking that he was betrayed by his love and Eos blamed herself for his death. Ironically, the only remains of their love were the pain and grief left behind in the form of Griever,” Stiria concluded.

“Fascinating tale. Although the story I’ve been told of Hyne is slightly different,” Leon said, recollecting the legend he had heard in his world.

“In war, the victor gets to dictate the history. Survivors write the history, not the dead,” she pointed.

“True. I always thought Bahamut was a good guy. This story paints him in a completely different light. It makes sense that he would spread the false narrative of the events,” he said, looking at her.

“Seeing his love die in front of his eyes, Bahamut had a change of heart. Ever since that day, the Six have been protecting this planet with Bahamut personally looking after the Crystal and her Trident. Is he protecting this world out of his love for Eos or out of fear of retaliation from Eos and Hyne? Only Bahamut knows that.”

“Fear of retaliation? But both Eos and Hyne are dead,” he pointed.

“The legend says that Eos and Hyne will be reincarnated over and over again until they can finally be together. Throughout centuries, across many realms, they have been reincarnated as Cloud and Aerith, Tidus and Yuna, Ashe and Rasler, Serah and Noel, Stella and Noctis, and many more, but their story always ends in heartbreak. Every time one is left grieving the death of the other. It is said that the Eos and Hyne walk among us even now, still searching for their happy ending.”

“Fascinating,” was all Squall could say.

“Now are you interested in this trade?” she asked, picking up the book again.

“I had honestly forgotten all about it,” he admitted sheepishly.

“That’s all right. I would give you this rare book if you can give me the pendant and the ring,” she offered. “Surely, that can’t be the real thing. It must be a replica,” she added to convince him.

After seriously contemplating Leon finally replied, “This pendant and the ring means a lot to me. This is a symbol of my past and who I am now. I won’t trade it for anything in the world.”

“I understand. In that case, I am afraid that you have nothing of value to me,” she said, putting down the book.

With a disappointment evident on his face, Leon slowly walked away from her.

With every step he took a pang of unknown guilt stabbed at his heart. Luna’s words played in his head.

“What would you do if somehow someone gave you that last copy of that book?”

“I would enamor them. You have no idea how much this book means to me. It's more than just a book to me. It represents the bond between my mother and me. To hold that book once again in my hand would mean the world to me.”

His feet stopped moving as that memory resurfaced.

‘Leon, what are you doing? This is one thing that represents Luna’s bond with her mother. How can you just walk away like that?’ spoke his heart.

‘Get her that book at the cost of my Griever? No way.’ Fought back his mind.

‘It’s a trinket which has no meaning or any practical value. It is important to you because you made it so. Do you know how happy she will be to receive this book?’ Argued his heart.

‘This is the only thing I have from my past.’ Rationalized his mind.

‘But she is your future. Are you willing to let go of your future because you cannot let go of your past?’

‘It’s not that simple.’

‘Happiness does not come without sacrifice. Luna has sacrificed her happiness over and over again so the world can be a better place. You claim to love her and yet hesitate to give up even a trinket for her?’

[Love me? Did I hear that right?]

‘What about my happiness?’ asked his mind.

‘When you love someone, their happiness is your happiness. Remember that?’ replied his heart.

‘Yes, I do love her. Fine. You win.’

[Oh my god, he loves me]

Leon took off his pendant and ring and walked back to Stiria. He looked at both the items in his palm one last time and with a heavy heart he gave it to Stiria.

[I had an inclination that he loved me, but to actually hear it is--- is amazing. Oh God, I am losing my mind. Focus Luna, focus. Take deep breaths and calm down.]

“Thank you, Squall,” she said accepting it. Stiria handed the book to Squall and said, “I hope your friend likes this book.”

“I know she will.”

‘I will wait for the right moment to give this to her. I know she will love it. For now, let’s eat some ice-cream.’

After a few minutes, Leon returned to the car with two ice creams. He saw that Luna was talking to a street vendor, so he waved towards her to get her attention. She saw him and quickly came towards the car. She kept a few things she had bought in the trunk and joined him on the hood of the car.

Leon handed her a soft-serve chocolate vanilla ice cream once she was situated next to him.

“Ice cream? What’s the occasion?”

“This is to celebrate finishing all our deliveries,” he announced, doing cheers with their ice cream cones.

Everything started swirling again. The next image to stabilize was of a cave in Fociaugh Hollow.

[This is it. Time to find out what happened to you Leon in that cave?]

Author's notes:

Did not expect to see Cloud, Aerith, Tidus, Yuna, Ashe, Rasler, Serah, and Noel in this chapter, did you? haha

It was fun to loosely tie 5 more Final Fantasy (FFVII, FFX, FFXII, FFXIII-2, and FFXV Versus) stories with the lore of this one :)

If you pay attention to cloths Squall and Luna have been wearing since they left Lestallum you might have noticed that they have been wearing Cloud and Aerith's clothes from their various games... so I left SOME hints lol

Also, lots of Easter eggs in this chapter, lets see if you can answer them. 1) Which game is Stiria from? (I had mentioned about her in chapter 17. I am surprised no one picked up on it.) 2) Which game is the book Durai Papers from? 3) Which game is the book LOVELESS from? (This one is super easy) 4) Which game is the book The Song of the Savior from? 5) What is significance of number 41,269 in FFVIII? 6) What is significance of 1,370,000 Gil? (If you can answer this one, without googling, then you should be crowned as FFVIII Champion. This is a hard one.)

Please leave a comment and brighten my day. Thanks :)

2 notes · View notes

platonicone · 4 years

Text

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 23 - In solace of a lie

Why is believing in a lie more comforting than facing the truth? I wonder…

Luna stood there quietly, looking out of the window for a few minutes before retreating to her quarters. Too tired to think, she soon succumbed to sleep.

It was almost 10 a.m. and Luna had still not stepped out of her cabin, which worried Aranea. She knocked persistently, but to no avail.

“Luna, are you okay?” she asked, following another knock. After hearing no response, she banged on the door.

Luna laboriously opened her eyes and stumbled her way to the door. She opened to the door to find an impatient Aranea standing outside. Aranea was relieved to see her. “Geez, even the monster wakes up before you.”

“Sorry, I went to sleep late last night,” she defended, rubbing her eyes.

“I hope you guys were not doing, you know, that,” Aranea teased in a mischievous tone. It took Luna’s sleepy brain a few seconds to register what she was hinting at.

“How dare you,” Luna threatened, squinting her eyes.

“Good, you are awake,” Aranea said with a laugh. “The bathroom is that way. Get freshen up and meet me at the café two cabins up ahead. I’ll wait for you there.”

Luna nodded as Aranea quickly exited to another compartment. Luna admired how Aranea was always so full of energy.

She retrieved her backpack and grabbed her essentials from it to begin her morning rituals. She felt energetic and refreshed after a blissful hot shower.

She came back to her quarters and checked on Leon, but he was still unconscious. She meditated and prayed for a few minutes before joining her best friend.

“How long does it take to get ready?” Aranea remarked when she saw Luna approaching.

“Sorry! I got a hot shower after weeks, so I enjoyed it until the hot water ran out,” she replied with a smile.

Aranea was like her best friend and big sister all-in-one. She was one person with whom Luna can be herself. Aranea for her part also treated Luna a normal girl as opposed to an Oracle. Their conversations were often casual and light-hearted, which meant the world to Luna. Aranea was one of the few people Luna could put her guard down without any fear.

“What would you like my annoying vegan friend?” Aranea asked, folding her hands.

“Whatever is available,” Luna replied with a shrug. She sat on the barstool next to Aranea. She looked around and the whole compartment was practically empty, which she silently appreciated.

“Just give her a kid’s meal with some mac and cheese and fries,” Aranea told the server. “Also, don’t forget to give her a toy.”

Luna arched her eyebrow at Aranea and she pointed at the sign, which said, “Free toy with every kid’s meal.” Luna just started laughing and shook her head.

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Luna asked, resting both of her hands on the table.

“Well, we have a lot of catching up to do missy. Let me start first because I have a feeling that your story will be a lot more exciting than mine.”

“I wouldn’t call it exciting,” she stated, shaking her head.

“There is a hot guy sleeping in your compartment right now. I am sure you have the exciting part covered,” Aranea teased.

“How is Ravus?” she asked, switching the topic.

“Pissed. Scared. Annoyed. Happy.”

“That’s quite a range of emotions.”

“Those emotions are justified when your only sister runs off in danger without care for well-being.”

“Sorry,” she sighed, looking down

Luna got her mac and cheese and fries while Aranea got her coffee and muffin, which she had ordered before Luna got there.

“Tell me, what happened since I was gone?” asked Luna.

“During the invasion of Insomnia, initially we feared you had died,” she began.

“Stop,” Luna suddenly cut her off. She just pointed at the chef of the café.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He is one of us. At least one of the weapons vendors, diners or the inn owner at every outpost in Lucis are our people.”

“No way!” she was surprised to hear that.

“Information is the key to win the war, so we have gone to great lengths to infiltrate their ranks.”

“Wow!” she said, still processing the information she just learned.

“After the treaty signing, we lost track of your whereabouts. Ravus was promoted to the high commander of the imperial army in the wake of Glauca's death. He convinced the Emperor to declare you as dead to lure you out of your hiding. In reality, it was a ploy to take some heat off of you. Besides, capturing Citadel caused quite an uproar in Lucis so we had our hands full. We were alerted of your presence when you crossed the Disc of Cauthess.”

She took a sip of her coffee before continuing, “We figured that you were going to wake up the giant. Historically, Astrals has not taken kindly to be woken up. Since Ravus and I were in Gralea, we had sent in some cavalry to help you neutralize the Titan should he attack you. However, the lieutenant-general deployed at that post was an Empire’s loyalist and attacked you instead. How you managed to destroy half a brigade and escape in one piece is a mystery to us.”

“I can fill you in on that later,” she offered, taking a spoon full of mac and cheese.

“We lost complete track of you after that for weeks. We were alerted of your presence again when one of our video analysts had spotted you in the background of our news. Brigadier General Ulldor responded to the call and killed off a civilians, but you had escaped again. We did not find a trace of you for weeks until yesterday. Knowing how you managed to remain hidden so well is of great interest to me.”

“I can fill you in on that too,” she assured, dipping her fries in katchup.

“Meanwhile, the word had gotten out of your death so thousands of pilgrims flocked to the Fenestala Manor to pay their respects, expecting Ravus to deliver a eulogy. Sir-Broods-a-lot avoiding the public eye caused many to worry about his well-being.”

“Speaking of that, how is his arm?”

“That stupid ring had burned off his entire left arm. He met with Dr. Verstael Besithia who replaced his arm with a magitek prosthetic arm, giving him superhuman strength. He is currently on his tour to Lucis to ease the unrest in the region.”

“I am glad to hear that he is doing okay,” she professed with a sigh of relief.

After enjoying their meal quietly for a few moments, Luna asked, “How is your home?”

“Gralea is in bad shape. The number of demons in the capital is getting out of control. The Emperor Aldercapt had hoped that bringing Crystal to Gralea would help dispel all the daemons, but turns out that without the ring the Crystal is nothing but a shiny rock.”

“Was that the grounds for invading Insomnia?” she wondered aloud.

“Yes, or so we’ve been told. I think he did what he thought was best for his country. He desperately wanted to protect his civilians. Lucis was not going to just hand over their precious crystal because Niflheim needed it. The Emperor Aldercapt hated the fact that Lucis thrived and prospered while everything outside of the barrier was crumbling apart. His vision was to use the Crystal’s power to empower humanity so they never have to rely on magic again. His methods were far from ideal, but his heart was in the right place, that is why I joined the Empire Army. However, Ardyn and Verstael seem to be gaining more influence on the Emperor with each passing day. Weaponizing demons, experimenting on civilians, and in some cases demonizing people are becoming a norm now. This is not the Empire I loved and believe in. Honestly, I’ve thought a lot about leaving it.”

“So, what is holding you back?”

“Ravus. It seems counterintuitive, but in order to fix the problem, he became one with the problem itself. He is fighting an uphill battle. He inspires me to keep fighting for the future I want to see. Running away won’t solve anything. I want to save the Empire from itself and the best place to do it is from within. I will die for it if I have to.”

“We all are constantly fighting our own battles. When do we actually live?” Luna asked.

“I don’t know. You are the Oracle, you tell me,” she asked, finishing her coffee.

“Unfortunately, there is no one answer to this problem. We must find it for ourselves. Ironically, people often find something to die for, but they rarely find something to live for. Aranea, don’t die for the Empire. Live for it.”

“Well said, Oracle,” she remarked, getting up from her stool.

Both friends made their way back to Luna’s quarters. Luna checked on Leon as soon as she entered the cabin.

“Are you going to tell me what is going on here?” Aranea asked sitting on the opposite berth.

“It’s a long story,” said Luna, rubbing the temple of her head.

“I’ve got time,” Aranea replied, leaning back against the cabin wall with arms folded and legs outstretched.

Luna told her everything from the time king’s glaives helped her escape to Insomnia till their journey to Fociaugh Hollow. Well, she did not tell her “everything.” Telling Aranea everything that happened between her and Leon would be like committing social suicide. Aranea would over-interpret things and would endlessly tease Luna. Luna just told her “strategically relevant information.”

“You have been through a lot,” Aranea said, with concern evident in her voice. “You are lucky to even be alive at this point.”

“Yes, had it not been for Leon, my luck would have run out a long time ago,” she admitted.

“I am impressed at how you guys managed to avoid the entire Imperial army for so long. Not staying at an outpost was a genius move.”

“It was all his idea. He is a military genius.”

“He must be as he was able to keep you safe from the Imperials, daemons, and Astrals. And he is devilishly good-looking to boot. Nice catch Luna,” she commented with a suggestive wink.

Luna facepalmed. “Stop teasing, Aranea. It is not as you think.”

“No, I am not teasing. I am serious. He has done more for you in the last few weeks than Noctis has in his whole life. You should seriously consider this.”

“Aranea, I am engaged to Noctis.”

“Oh, I am sorry, I did not know that he proposed to you. Did he send you a ring? Did he write a letter with Umbra expressing his feelings?”

“He just lost his father and his kingdom. He is dealing with a lot himself. And he is shy, so he doesn't express his feelings. That does not mean he does not love me.”

“Oh please, wake up from this nonsense,” Aranea’s temper flared. “Your marriage was only a ploy to force King Regis’s hand. It was an empty symbolic gesture to bring him to the treaty table. None of it was real. The treaty never went through, which means you don’t have to marry him.”

“I don’t have to, but I want to marry him. He cares for me,” she pleaded.

“Ya, keep telling yourself that. For every second your covenant goes unresolved, you are losing your life. Why don’t you tell him to hurry up and get his act together?” Aranea snapped.

“I am not going to dictate his life. I am sure he is doing everything within his power to reunite me with quickly.”

“Like hell he is. He spends his time collecting decals and stickers for his car, picking up groceries for Takka's Pit Stop, searching for the missing dog tags, and collecting some stupid frogs. And when he is free from all these burdens, he spends his time fishing. Every second he wastes is every second you get closer to death. Something is literally killing you and you cannot even tell him and you claim to know about love.” She raved, unable to contain her anger.

“I know that you don’t like Noctis, but please don’t speak ill of Noctis. I am begging you.” Tears swelled in her eyes.

“What am I to do Luna? Just watch you die when there might still be a way to save you? You might not care about your own life, but we do. At least tell Noctis to get his act together to save your own brother.” Aranea was enraged.

“Save Ravus?”

“When encountering Empire airships, while you guys employed run, hide, and in the worst-case scenario fight tactic, Noctis and his buddies actively engage our troops. Every time they do that, we get notification of their location. While you guys were smart enough to avoid staying at any outposts, it looks like his Royal Highness is on a f***ing world tour. So far, he has stayed at every single outpost. And they all report back to us. Ravus and I have to either suppress those reports or stall long enough for him to escape. And people have started noticing it. If they find out that we are assisting Noctis, then Ravus would be executed ruthlessly.” She continued her outburst.

“I am sorry. I did not know that,” she said, amidst her sobs.

“We are trying to shield him, but it’s like he wants to get captured. While you and a complete stranger, who does not owe you a damn thing, are fighting every day so that he may reclaim his throne, what is he doing? We cannot help him unless he helps himself.” She riled.

“He is the chosen King of kings and I am sure he will rise to the occasion. Just give him some time,” she pleaded.

“This is pathetic. I don’t know if I am more disappointed in you or Noctis. Why do you defend him so much?” Aranea fumed.

“Because I love him, is that not a reason enough?”

“Do you really believe that?”

“I want to.”

“Why?”

“Because it makes things easier. To think that I have to sacrifice myself because it is my duty is hard. But, to think that I have to sacrifice myself for my love makes it easier to bear. Sometimes we are not seeking happiness, but simply a shelter from the pain.” She broke down into tears as she couldn’t say anything further.

Aranea moved closer to her and hugged her. “I am sorry,” she consoled her. She let her cry herself to sleep. Luna was exhausted physically and mentally. Aranea gently placed her on her berth and quietly exited the cabin.

It must be around 6 p.m. when Luna woke up again. She felt something soft around her legs. She wearily opened her eyes to see what it was. Before she could even move, the furry beast hopped over her and started licking her face. She giggled as Pryna snuggled close to her. After playing with her, Luna sat up and stretched. She noticed Umbra lying around Leon’s legs.

She got up and petted Umbra. “You know Umbra, you are my dog, not his,” she playfully scolded him.

Umbra in response retracted from her touch and snuggled close to Leon.

She just rolled her eyes and said, “Fine. Be that way.”

She stepped out of her cabin and went to the bathroom to get freshened up. When she emerged from it, she found Aranea standing in the corridor, looking out of the window. Luna joined her and observed the beautiful landscape passing by.

“Hey, I am sorry. I was very hard on you,” Aranea apologized.

“It’s all right. I know you meant well.”

“I just couldn’t watch you self-destruct. Still, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I should have simply presented the information I had and let you make your own choice. I shouldn’t have projected my views on you,” Aranea admitted.

“Please don’t beat yourself up. I needed to hear that. Sometimes you don’t see your own mistakes, no matter how obvious it may be, until someone points it out to you. While most people revere me as the Oracle, you are my one true friend, who does not shy away from telling me when I am wrong. And I appreciate it more than I show,” she confessed.

“Glad to hear that.”

“I took your advice to heart and have asked Gentiana to be in frequent communication with Noctis and keep him focused on the goal,” Luna informed.

“Thank you.”

“He is destined to lead us through the darkness and I am sure he will heed Gentiana’s call,” Luna reassured.

“Destiny does not become a reality unless you work for it. I hope he understands that,” Aranea pointed.

“I am sure he is aware of his duties,” Luna reassured.

“Let’s hope so for both of our sakes.”

“Hungry?” Aranea asked, after an outstretched silence.

“Not yet.”

“You haven’t eaten anything since the morning,” Aranea pointed.

“Neither have you, am I right?” She asked.

“Ya, I am starting to get hungry, want to go grab a bite?” Aranea proposed.

“It’s only 6 p.m. how about we go after an hour?” Luna offered.

“Sounds fair.”

“Hey Arae, I need your help with something,” she requested.

“Sure, what is it?” Aranea responded promptly.

“It’s Leon. He still hasn’t woken up. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I am worried about him.”

“Let’s go check it out,” she said, pushing herself off the rails.

Luna leads the way. Upon entering, they were greeted by two canines guarding the cabin. Aranea played with Pryna first and then with Umbra sitting by Leon’s legs. Luna kneeled next to Leon, gently placing her hand on his forehead.

“So, after your covenant with Ramuh, on your way out you collapsed and by the time you woke up, he was knocked out?” Aranea recollected what Luna had told her earlier, while gently petting Umbra.

“Yes, after my covenant with Titan I was out for weeks. But here I woke up after only a few minutes. How did I recover so fast from the covenant? What happened after I lost consciousness and before I woke up?” Luna wondered.

“This is strange, you forged the covenant, so you should be knocked out, not him,” Aranea wondered aloud.

“Exactly. Something happened and I just don’t know it. It feels like I am missing a part of my memory and it is so frustrating,” Luna admitted. “I guess; now I know how he must feel for not remembering huge chunks of his memories.”

Aranea got up and moved close to Leon to check his pulse. Her expression changed immediately.

“What’s wrong?” Luna asked with concern.

“This pulse is a lot weaker than yesterday. At this rate, he might not live long enough to reach Tenebrae.”

“Oh God,” she said, as the horror set in.

Aranea moved over to the empty berth. They both sat quietly pondering over what to do next. The mood in the room was very solemn. Light music played from overhead speakers in the cabin, which neither paid much attention to.

“According to legends, there is one unconventional method which has been used to wake up people from their deep slumber,” Aranea said, looking thoughtful.

“Tell me. I’ll do anything,” Luna eagerly replied.

“Once upon a time there was a princess who was cursed by a wicked witch. The curse puts her to sleep. All the medics in the kingdom got together, but none could wake her up. Yadda yadda yadda it took a true love’s kiss to wake her up.”

“I am NOT doing that,” Luna glared at her.

“Fine. Then get out of the way. I’ll kiss him,” Aranea said, getting up from her berth.

“No!” Luna spread out her hands, blocking Aranea’s advance.

“Oh, being territorial, are we?” she said with a mischievous wink.

“Arae, this is not the time to joke!” Luna scolded her.

“Geez, I was just trying to light up the mood. It is so solemn in here that it felt like someone has died. You don’t get the best ideas when you are in stress,” she justified her recent actions. They both went back into their thinking mode.

Aranea finally broke the long silence. “When we are looking for information not readily available to us, we check with the sources closest to the information. Next, we see if there is any documentation or recording of it. In your case, it was only the two of you so that rules out any other sources. I doubt there is any documentation or recording of your journey. I am at a loss for ideas here,” she said. “If only we could peek in from the window of time and look at what happened in the past.”

“But even if we do that, it’s not--” Luna stopped mid-sentence as she had a eureka moment. “Arae, you are a genius.”

“I am?” she wondered out loud. Not sure what she was getting credit for, but she’ll take it. “I mean, I am.”

“There is a recording of what happened!” she said gleefully.

“What? Where? How?” Aranea asked, confused.

“That recording in his mind!”

“Oh! I get it. So, let's cut him open and see what’s inside!” Aranea said with too much excitement. Luna just glared at her. “Sorry, not the right time to joke. Guilty as charged.” She raised her hands in defense.

“We do have a way to look through the window of time and look at the past.”

“And how are you going to do that?” she wondered.

“Our answer is looking right at us!” Luna said with a voice full of excitement and hope.

“I am still not following you,” Aranea admitted.

“Umbra!”

“What about it?”

“Umbra’s power can send people back in time. I can ask Umbra to send me back in time to see what happened,” Luna projected.

“But you were unconscious, so even if you go back in time, you will simply be unconscious, No?”

“Yes, I did not think of that,” Luna confessed.

After pondering for a while Luna spoke up again, “How about I go back in Leon’s time. Then I will see everything, right?”

“I thought Umbra could send people back to their past, not someone else’s.”

“Umbra will connect with Leon and I will connect with Umbra. Using Umbra as the mediator, in theory, I should be able to see his memories,” Luna explained.

“In theory?” Aranea asked with concern.

“Well...” she said, recollecting an old memory.

Earlier in Lestallum

Lunafreya was sitting in her bed, idly squeezing a stress ball. It was part of her therapy to regain motor control in her hand. She noticed Umbra sitting at Leon’s feet as usual.

“He really likes you,” she commented.

Leon, who was reading cosmology, looked up and questioningly arched his eyebrow to Luna.

“Umbra, he really likes you. For years, he has been my faithful companion, never leaving my side once. But ever since you got here, he does not even come to me anymore,” she said with a laugh.

Leon lovingly petted Umbra.

“You know, he has divine powers.”

“Is that so? What does his power entail?” he asked.

“Umbra is a manipulator of time. He can send someone’s consciousness back in time.”

“How interesting. I used to know someone in my world with very similar power.”

“Really?” she said, sitting up on her bed. Her curiosity ran wild now. “What was their power like? How did it work?”

“She called her power Connect. She could connect with the consciousness of someone she knows, and send their consciousness back in time to experience the events of their or someone else past,” he explained.

“She could let someone explore the memories of others? That is so cool. And scary.”

“Yeah. It helped me save someone’s life once, I think,” he said, unable to recollect details of that event.

“How did looking at someone’s memory help you save them? How did it feel to look at someone’s memories?” she asked. Leon could tell there were hundreds of other questions she was trying to not ask all at once.

“I don’t recollect all the details, but I think someone I cared about fell into a coma. No medical treat helped, so I finally asked the girl with the mysterious powers to let me look at the memories of the person in a coma with a hope to learn more about their condition. Once I saw what caused them to lose their consciousness, I was able to help them recover. I think.” He said piecing together fragments of his memories.

“Wow, that is fascinating. I would not have thought of that in a million years. You must have really cared about that person to come up with such an innovative solution.”

“Yes, I think I cared deeply for that person,” he said, slightly unsure. “As for your second question. Looking at someone’s memories is like looking through a window of time. It almost feels like watching a movie. You see the world through their eyes, but you cannot change anything.”

“That is amazing. I wonder if Umbra has such powers too.”

“Who knows,” he said, petting Umbra again.

Aranea raised her concerns, “Just because it worked in his world does not mean it would work here as well. What if you cannot ‘disconnect?’”

“Arae, I can’t let the fear of failure stop me from trying. I am not going to just sit here waiting for him to wake up someday. If there is a way to get him back, I will find it.”

“I still feel this is reckless. Is he worth risking your life?” Aranea asked.

“He has risked his everything for me. This is the least I could do for him.”

“Wait! So, you are just going to jump into his consciousness and look at everything he did?” Aranea checked.

“Yes,” she replied as if it was the most obvious thing to do.

“Luna, this is an invasion of privacy on a whole new level,” Aranea said with disbelief.

Luna sighed and said, “I know it is, but there is no other way. He is a very closed off person, so I know he would probably hate me for this. I think he might hate me already so adding a little more hate to it won’t make a difference.”

“The only reason you would risk your life for someone who hates you is if you love them.”

“Arae, not now.”

“From what you have told me he sounds like a good person. Why do you think he hates you?” Aranea wondered.

“I betrayed him in a worse possible way.” She couldn’t finish her sentence as words dried up in her mouth.

“You betrayed him?”

“We’ll talk about it another time. I need to do this now,” she said, getting up and walking to Umbra.

“I can’t let you do this. This could be very dangerous,” Aranea cautioned.

“I don’t care what happens to me,” she said with uncharacteristic anger. “I won’t let him die again. You said it yourself that he won’t even make it till Tenebrae. This is our last hope and I won’t let that hope extinguish so easily.”

Aranea nodded, giving her silent approval.

“Thanks, Arae.”

She kneeled down beside Umbra and gently petted him. “Umbra, I need your help. I know you care about Leon too. Only you can help me with this. Can you please let me see Leon’s memories? There is something wrong with him and no one knows what. If we know what is wrong with him, then maybe we’ll be able to save him. Will you please help me?”

Umbra got up on his paws until he was eye-level with Luna. His eyes suddenly started glowing red. Luna was enthralled by it as she couldn’t move her gaze from Umbra’s eyes. She suddenly started feeling lightheaded and fell limp on the ground with eyes shut close.

“Luna,” Aranea bolted from her seat to attend her friend. She tried calling her name and shaking her to wake her up, but it was to no avail.

Aranea picked her up and laid her down gently on the berth.

“Great, now I have to babysit all three of them,” she said, shaking her head. “I wonder what she is going to find out.”

Author's notes:

This chapter highlights Luna and Aranea's friendship. This also gives a different (potentially controversial) perspective on Nocti's open-world journey. Personally, I felt horrible upon finding out that while I was spending ridiculous amount of time doing silly side quests Luna was dying all along. Your thoughts?

The next chapter would be a bombshell. Luna finds out the meaning of, "Your fates have been intertwined for eons." I can confidently say that it's a plot twist no one would have seen coming. I promise. *evil laugh*

Please leave a comment and brighten my day. Thanks :)

PS: I wrote couple of new stories so check it out of you have time. 1st story is called 'Eye on me' a Leon x Aerith story in Kingdom Heart universe. 2nd story is called 'I was not born evil this the cruel world made me' it is FFVIII story which narrates how Rinoa ended up becoming Ultimecia.

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platonicone · 4 years

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Hi, I just wanted to say I love your work. It's really original and creative and I can't wait to read more!

Hello there, Wow, your timing is impeccable. I had initially given this story to a few beta-readers and they all said something along the lines of no one would want to read this... and I was starting to believe that. I was seriously considering deleting all these post thinking that no one was reading it. Thank you so much for your encouraging words and taking your time out to write this message, it really made my day.

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platonicone · 4 years

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Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 22 - Chains that binds us

Why is the price for doing the right things always pain? I wonder…

The Naga attacked, but the shield held it off. Instead of attacking again, the Naga started circling them patiently waiting for an opening.

Luna was quickly running out of energy and her barrier would disappear any second now. She knew the end was nigh.

A swooshing sound cut through the air and a spear impaled the Naga.

“Sorry, I am late,” said a familiar voice. Luna finally smiled upon hearing that voice.

“Aranea!” Luna had never been happier to see her.

Aranea leaped high and unleashed another powerful attack on Naga. Not wanting to fight two on one again, the Naga slither away.

“Are you okay, Luna?” Aranea asked, walking towards her.

“Thanks to you, now I am,” she replied happily. “How did you even find me here?”

“I had some help for Gentiana,” Aranea admitted while using an elixir on Luna. “My, my, who do we have here?” she wondered, looking at a man being cradled by Luna.

“He is Leon,” Luna said. Aranea just arched an eyebrow wanting to know more. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say he is a friend.”

“Just a friend? I wouldn’t say that by the way you are holding him,” she remarked with a wink.

“I think we should get out of here first and talk later?” Luna proposed.

“Are we taking him with us as well?”

“We can’t just leave him here. That would be cruel, don’t you think?”

Aranea saw Biggs and Wedge entered the scene from the corner of her eye. “What’s wrong with him? Why is he asleep in the middle of a battlefield?” Aranea inquired.

“I don’t know. I woke up and found him unconscious,” Luna replied.

Aranea kneeled down to check his pulse. “His pulse is weak.”

“Lady A and Lady Lunafreya, are you okay?” asked Biggs, closing in.

“Yes, but we have a guest who is not okay. We need to carry him out of here,” Aranea summed up the situation.

“Leave it to us, Lady A,” assured Biggs.

The whole entourage made their way towards the exit. Aranea clearing the path as the rest followed behind.

They were greeted at the entrance by Gentiana. “It is good to see the lady survive the trial of Ramuh.”

“Thank you, Gentiana, for bringing Aranea here on time. Without her aid, I wouldn’t be here.”

“She was already looking for you, I just pointed her in the right direction,” Gentiana replied with her eyes closed. “What happened to the visitor? Is he okay?”

"No, he is not okay. I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” she said with sadness evident on her face.

“He is not okay now, but he will be,” Aranea said reassuringly. “We need to go now.”

“Where are we to go?” asked Luna.

“Your brother dear was worried sick about you so he had sent me to find you and bring you back to Tenebrae. Based on a recent shift in weather we knew that Astral must be involved, and that meant you must be involved as well. We knew you were in this area in general, so we had the patrol set up. But it was Gentiana who showed us your actual location,” recapped Aranea.

“Hold on, why are we going back to Tenebrae? I need to go to Altissia to awaken the Hydrean.” Luna protested.

“Lady Lunafreya, your mortal body will not survive another covenant in this state. You need to recover your strength before you take on another Astral,” Gentiana said, even before Aranea could get a word in.

“Besides, I am under a strict order from your brother dear to bring you back to Tenebrae. Like it or not, that is what I intend to do,” Aranea said with her military tone.

“No, I need to go to Altissia. I don’t care what happens to me. It is my duty to awaken the Hydrean,” she refused stubbornly.

“The Empire knows that you are on the move. They have ordered the army to swipe through the entire Lucis to find you. It is not safe for you here anymore. Moreover, they know that you will go to Altissia to awaken the Hydrean so they have shut down all maritime and air travel to Altissia. Tenebrae is the last place they would expect you to be. You must return there at least until we find an alternative route to get you to Altissia.”

“But--” she said hesitantly before being cut off by Aranea, “Also, your friend needs a doctor’s attention so Tenebrae is your only choice at this point.”

“Fine,” she surrendered. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Biggs and Wedge will escort us to the train station. We’ll take a transcontinental railway, Magna Fortia, to Tenebrae.”

After looking at Leon, Luna inquired, “Can’t we just take the airship? It would be much quicker that way.”

“Unfortunately, that is not an option. All the ships were deployed to Lucis. If one ship suddenly makes the trip to Tenebrae then it would raise suspicion,” Aranea reasoned.

“Oh, I see,” she said with a hint of disappointment. “My life is in your hands, lead the way.”

The entire area was shrouded with dark clouds and torrential rainfall drenched every inch of dry land. Ramuh had truly awakened.

Aranea, Gentiana, Luna, Leon, Biggs, and Wedge embarked on a journey towards Magna Fortia. Being under the protection of Aranea, Luna did not have to fear the Empire. After about half a day’s travel, using various modes of transportation, they finally arrived at the train station around midnight.

Biggs and Wedge hauled Leon to one of the passenger compartments. Luna decided to stay in the same compartment.

Aranea, after taking care of some important business, boarded the train at the last minute. Biggs and Wedge went back to man the airship and would continue to follow the assigned route.

At midnight, the train left the station. “Get rest, we can talk about everything tomorrow. There is a lot of catching up to do,” Aranea stated, standing by the door. “My cabin is next to yours. Don’t hesitate to wake me up if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Aranea. I really appreciate everything you have done for me.”

“Mention not. Rest well princess,” she said with a wave and made her way to her own cabin. Luna stood up and gently closed the door. She came back and looked at Leon, peacefully sleeping. Just looking at his scars and bruises filled her eyes with tears. She was too drained physically and mentally to process anything at this point, so she forcefully averted her eyes from him. She sat on her berth with her back flushed against the cabin wall. She retracted her legs closer and wrapped her hands around them and rested her head on it. She looked like a small child badly in need of a hug.

As the train ran along the tracks, the rhythmic sound it made was oddly soothing to her. A lot had happened today. She was happy that she forged a covenant with another Astral and was now one step closer to fulfilling her duty. However, she was hurt by the fact that she almost traded Leon’s life for it. It was an emotional roller coaster for her. Subtle metronomic movement of the train combined with rhythmic sound soon puts her to sleep. The lights in her cabin were still left on.

She slept like a baby for a couple of hours. The vision of Ramuh attacking Leon mercilessly started haunting her dream world. Her refusal to fight, the stab of betrayal in Leon’s eyes, him getting rid of his rubber hazmat suit to accept his fate, Leon’s limp body bouncing off the wall, the blood on his face, his scream of anguish, it all hunted her. Ramuh hurled the lightning and Luna screamed and looked away, it was that moment when she woke up with a scream. Her breath was shallow, heartbeat through the roof, and she was perfusing heavily. It took her brain some time to realize the difference between dream and reality.

She looked at the clock and it was a few minutes past 2 am. She got up to turn off the light and returned to her berth. She tried to go back to sleep, but it would not come so easily this time. After tossing and turning for almost half an hour, she decided to take a little stroll in the train, thinking that some fresh aid would help her calm down.

She quietly opened the door and stepped out of her cabin. Much to her surprise, she saw a familiar face leaning against the railing, looking out of the windows at the tiny lights from a distant town.

“The Lady cannot sleep?” Gentiana asked, without looking at her.

Luna joined her by the railing and looked out of the window. Even though it was dark, you could see the general terrain passing by. “Yes, sleep is rather elusive tonight.”

“The Lady has been through a lot. Her mortal body would require rest to recover,” she pointed out in a soothing voice.

“Yes, I am aware of that, but the body does not heal well with a weary mind and a broken heart.”

“Perhaps your familiar could be of any assistance?” she asked, finally opening her eyes and looking at Luna.

“Gentiana, I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

“What might the lady mean?”

“I had no problem sacrificing myself for the sake of my duty, but now I have started to sacrifice others for it too. This is a burden I cannot bear.”

“And yet, you did.”

“And I feel like a monster for doing it. Every time Ramuh struck Leon, I had wished it was me. Every time I heard Leon’s scream, I prayed that I would feel his pain. But no matter how much I wished or prayed; the reality was that it was I who had put him in that situation to begin with. It’s not fair that he has to suffer so that I can fulfill my duty,” she said as tears streamed down from her face.

“The Gods work in mysterious ways. Humans don’t live long enough to face consequences for all their actions. Hence, their karma carries over to their next life. What might seem like senseless suffering of an innocent often has an untold and a justifiable history behind it. The visitor’s suffering was part of his redemption. While it may seem like it was caused by your own volition, rest assure that you were merely a catalyst in the process. Ironically, it is because of you that he passed his trial. In your absence, he would have succumbed to the darkness as he did last time.”

“While your words may ease my mind, my heart will forever be scared.”

“Human emotion is something I’ll never fully comprehend,” Gentiana confessed.

After a few quiet moments, Luna spoke again, “Gentiana, what do the Gods have against Leon? When we fought against the Titan he said, ‘The Fallen has risen? How? He was erased. Matters not, for he shall fall again.’ I thought it was strange that Titan said that, but now his words carry a meaning that I do not understand. Even Ramuh spoke at length on how Leon had defied the Gods last time. What exactly happened last time?”

“The Lady need not concern herself with the trivialities of the past,” she shot down her curiosity with the coldness of Shiva. The way she said it would send chills down the spine of an ordinary human.

“It is too much of a coincidence that his journey to redemption is the same as my journey towards my destiny. I can’t help but wonder if I was part of this ‘last time,’” Luna persisted, ignoring her cold response last time.

“The lady is very perceptive,” she replied with her eyes closed. Gentiana stood straight, opened her eyes and looked straight at Luna, “We refer to ‘last time’ as Omen. Omen was a failed timeline where the prophecy failed and the world was plunged into the darkness. He failed us all and for that he must repent. I am not at a liberty to speak beyond this.”

“What was my relationship with him?” she asked with boldness unseen in her eyes every before.

“I cannot answer that. You must look inside to seek the truth,” she said, placing a finger at Luna’s heart. “But I can tell you this. Your tale is as old as time itself. Your fates have been intertwined for eons. How will your story end this time? I too am curious to find out.”

Gentiana turned around and swiftly started walking in the opposite direction.

“Gentian!” Luna called from behind.

“Yes, my lady?” she paused in her steps.

“Thank you,” Luna said with a bow.

“Anything to put my lady’s heart at ease,” she said with her usual eyes closed. “My lady, your burdens are many and your sacrifices are numerous. But if anyone can deliver our Star from impending darkness to the eternal light, it is you. Never forget that.”

Luna nodded in acknowledgement.

“What happens to Leon?”

“I had warned you at Taelpar Rest Area that a great tragedy awaits you. How you come out of it, is up to you.” Before Luna could ask anything else, Gentiana disappearing into the thin air, leaving behind small particles of ice lingering in the place where she stood.

Author's notes:

Please leave a comment if you have enjoyed the story so far. Would love to chat with some of my readers. Or at least say 'Hi' so I know someone is readying this. Thanks :)

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