Back in Garlemald, we have quite the story to tell.
While we've been away, many of the tempered have been moved, with the assistance of our fellow Scions, to various allied nations for treatment, as we have neither the resources no ability to treat them all here.
Excitingly, our defeat of Anima seems to have caused the other towers to disappear. The rescued captives are now in the care of their own peoples, who have been taught the magics necessary to cure the tempered! I am very pleased with this development, as it empowers the people of the tribes to act on their own, and not need to be trapped in a perpetual relationship of needing to turn to us for charity.
Some of the Ilsabard contingent have been given leave to return home, though Lucia and Maxima will remain along with a smaller force to continue offering aid to those who still call Garlemald home.
Oh boy, Lucia, you are not ready for what we have to tell you. I apologize in advance. This is about to get both very weird and very bad.
Lucia is taking this much better than I did. Props to her. She is willing to pass on the information to the Alliance leaders (that's a yikes task if ever there was one, "Just wanted to let you know, the apocalypse has begun") and even has the presence of mind to release the rest of the Scions from their duties so that we can all confer in Sharlayan and get to work saving everyone's bacon.
Before we leave, Maxima wants to talk to me about my bestie, Zenos. He has an idea to send scouts out looking for him, seeing that it's likely Zenos returned to Garlemald after leaving the moon. I think that's a terrible idea, because while Zenos doesn't delight in bloodshed, he'd have no qualms with killing anyone who stood in his way.
That second option would also have been a good one, because, yeah, I don't expect Zenos to be randomly wrecking havoc throughout the countryside. He's too... introspective. Too bored. None of that wanton destruction stuff would hold his interest. Honestly, I don't think Zenos is a realistic danger to the common citizen of Garlemald at this point; so long as anyone who sees him stays away from him, he's more likely to leave them alone.
Ahhh... Finally. I wondered when that name would pop up. Been waiting for that since Stormblood when I first saw it as a tag suggestion.
Back in Sharlayan, we fill in the rest of our friends on all that has transpired. Estinien says what we're all thinking.
Once we rule out pursuing the ancients' solution - sacrificing half the star's population to re-summon Zodiark - we're left with trying to find the root cause of the Final Days. A daunting task.
...Y'shtola gives quite a bit of shade to the ancients for having made the choice they did, but I've always gotten the impression that it was a last resort type of deal. That by the time they got to the place where they had to realistically consider it, the catastrophe had reached the point where it was either lose half their number or lose everyone. We have the benefit of knowing it's coming and taking action before our entire star is engulfed in a world-ending cataclysm. By comparison, we're in a rather lofty position. And, thanks to the Convocation, we both know a major symptom (stagnation of aether currents) and a method that solved it (having a primal regulate the star's currents) and continued to solve it for thousands of years. We just have to figure out what was causing those currents to stagnate in the first place. We are leagues ahead of where the ancients were at this point, and thanks to their knowledge can potentially find a better solution. It's not right to judge the ancients for the choices they made, in a situation we will never be in, when we are the beneficiaries of those choices.
Too bad we murdered everybody with firsthand knowledge of it, eh? Ironically, the Ascians would probably have made good allies in solving this problem. Though, their being tempered might have forced them down the path of re-summoning Zodiark... Maybe it's for the best they're not here.
That is a good point. I haven't the slightest clue. But, I am sure it will be horrifying!
Y'shtola suggests asking the Forum, now that we know what they're up to. But, before we can do more than contemplate this course of action Tataru interrupts with news: the Forum is holding a public assembly!
I wonder... Have they suddenly gotten a message that the time is nigh to evacuate?
That appears to be exactly what has happened. Prompted by a message from the moon, the Forum has unanimously voted to release the enchantment upon themselves and inform the public of their great duty and the imminent exodus.
I can't fail to notice that this entire scene is backed by the peppy "bad guys doing stuff" music (I really must learn the proper name of that track, lol.) makes me highly suspicious of the Forum, it does.
Fourchenault, of course, has been chosen to supervise this great endeavor. Yay...
I am uneasy that, at no point in these grand speeches does anyone broach the topic of, say, informing any of the other nations what is about to happen. Or of evacuating their people. It's Sharlayan, Sharlayan, Sharlayan. Much as I suspected, Sharlayan is only concerned with saving and preserving their own. All else will be left to burn in the Final Days.
It's difficult not to contrst what Sharlayan has chosen to do with what the ancients did. I remember Emet-Selch claiming that half our number would never voluntarily give up their lives to save the rest... At the time, I agreed with him, and I am unsurprised... And yet, still gravely disappointed, to find that he was right.
The twins have words for their father before we retire to the Baldesion Annex. They are good words, well worth saying. But I find I am distracted by Fourchenault's complete non-reaction to finding out we have no only been to the moon, but that Urianger is still up there and working with their collaborators. The man doesn't even blink. I can't say whether he already knew via the message they received, or whether he thinks we're full of shit! Ah... if only we'd been able to confront them before they'd opted to tell everyone. I'd have loved to see the looks on their faces.
You are so close, Thancred. Say it. Say that Zodiark wasn't evil. All along he'd been our protection against the Final Days. Hydaelyn lied to us. Lied to Minfilia, who gave her life to serve a God that wasn't one. Under false pretenses. Aren't you angry? Aren't you tired of being manipulated?
...Maybe you're right, maybe I do need some sleep.
Back at the Annex, in my room, I am hallucinating the Final Days again.
Suddenly there comes a knock on my door!
Not gonna lie, when this happened I tried to stop and post a little poll for you all to choose who should be at my door. I thought it would be fun XD. But the minimum time to hold a poll for is one day, and I didn't want to wait that long... sooo...
I mean, I couldn't not choose G'raha.
Oh G'raha, you remind me why I love you! You make my heart happy. Darling, stay the night, won't you?
Meanwhile, in the Ala Mhigan quarter, there is something bad happening...
There's also a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo by my DNC and RDM mentors! Omg omg! What are you two doing? Together??
Also meanwhile, in Ishgard, Erenville spots something ominous.
Don't say that, omg. Nothing good comes after people say that!
Oh no, oh no, Thavnair.
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