Chapter Text
Somewhere in Eorzea. The Future.
She had never thought it possible. From the very beginning of her journey under luscious boughs to the edge of the universe itself to silence the song of oblivion, she held onto it. Through love and loss, war and fear, resignation and hopelessness – she held onto it. Blinding in its brilliance.
Hope.
She had never stopped hoping. Not when she thought she had lost it all nor when a dear friend gave his life for her. She hoped for a better tomorrow when faced with the tragedy of conquest and oppression, convinced by their strength to overcome it all. Hope endured as she never stopped believing they would meet again. Two souls bound and fated to ever find each other no matter what. And it endured when she faced despair itself all alone.
She had never thought it possible.
The Warrior of Light gazes at the heavens, smoke and ash fill the air, and briefly she muses to herself – when was the last time she had seen the colour of the sky? Anything, really, that isn’t red and grey.
It is at that moment that she finally realises.
All hope has left her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emilia closes her book with a sigh and leans back against the cold stone. Caves were never quite to her liking, but beggars can’t be choosers. Ever since she refused to take sides in this inane war, she was branded a traitor by one and all, forced to flee and hide her identity. To think these people called her their hero once. It all seems so long ago now. Though in a way it is. It has been nearly 10 summers since their return from the Ultima Thule and 7 since the world had all but forgotten the meaning of the word “peace”.
“Something on your mind?” a soft voice draws her attention from her thoughts.
Emilia hums. Throughout it all, only one person remained steadfast at her side. Her most trusted, and now only, friend – Mae. Long ago, during the Dragonsong War, on a particularly dreary day, they had met. Mae had insisted that it was no coincidence and their meeting was written in the stars. At first Emilia had scoffed at it but as they spent more time together, she had come to realise that this particular astrologian truly had some odd talents.
“I made two promises once. The only two that ever truly mattered to me.” Emilia closes her eyes, taking a steadying breath. “And I failed to keep them both.”
Mae only looks at her, waiting for the warrior’s next words.
“I never managed to see all the wonders our world has to offer. I said mankind will find its own way but look at us now. They believed in me and I failed them.”
She looks up, trailing the drops of water forming on the dark stone, recalling a very long journey.
“You’re wrong!” her friend nearly shouts, “The burdens of other people’s mistakes are not yours to bear! None of this is your fault, so please, stop blaming yourself. You haven’t failed anyone.”
Emilia shakes her head. Deep down she knows this to be true. She knows her friend has the right of it. And yet...
“It’s not like we can change the past and magically snap this war out of existence. ‘Tis best to move on and figure out where to go next.”
Indeed, it’s not as if...
Wait.
Emilia jumps on her feet, suddenly hit by a revelation, startling her poor miqo’te companion intro dropping whatever trinkets she was holding.
“By the Twelve, what was that for?!”
“The Crystal Tower!” she exclaims, feeling a vague sort of hopefulness after so long. “It can take me to the past! If G’raha and Elidibus can do it then why can’t I? Surely, after all this time, it has accumulated vast amounts of aether.”
Mae tilts her head slightly, a thousand obvious questions swimming through her eyes. How will this work? What will you do? Where will you go? What will you change? Will you even survive?
“And...” Emilia continues, “Even if I can’t make the journey, something else can.”
She starts rummaging through her bag, looking for one of her most precious gifts to this day. Azem’s crystal, her crystal, has been with her since that fateful day and has never left her side. She’s not admitted it to anyone, slightly embarrassing as it is, but she would often fall asleep clutching the orange stone, hoping that somehow it would give her dreams of him. Perhaps even summon him, let her hold him tightly one last time. Give her the chance to apologise for it all and beg forgiveness.
No matter what Mae said, even if none of it was truly her fault, it sure as hell felt like it. The world was falling apart and she was powerless to stop it. All those noble sacrifices that held it together, from immortal and mortal alike, rendered meaningless and futile. All their struggles, their pain, their hopes and dreams – crushed. All of it in vain as mankind burned in a hell of its own making with no end in sight. But she will make it right. She must. It has ever been her duty.
With a new destination in mind, and barely a plan, the two weary travellers collect their things and make their way to The Crystal Tower. Their last hope for a better tomorrow. She will not let it be all for naught.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The journey to Mor Dhona and the tower’s entrance is uneventful, surprisingly so. Even with their disguises both of them are still fairly recognizable so it truly came as a surprise how easy it was to sneak around the place. Especially with her friend being the embodiment of the colour pink and refusing to even think about changing it. Not that Emilia was disappointed. The less time they lose in pointless fights the better.
“So,” Mae murmurs, staring at the giant door. “How do we get in?”
Emilia reaches down her bag and pulls out the crystal still containing G’raha Tia’s blood. She had decided to keep it, for some odd reason, and now was beyond grateful for it.
“I’m sure entering the tower would alert G’raha, and while he is one of the few people I still trust, I think it best to have a plan in place.”
“Right, a plan!” with an excited giggle Mae pulls out what appears to be a drawing of... ”Look!”
“Questionably indecent art of Ser Aymeric?” Emilia raises an eyebrow, doing her best to stifle a laugh.
Colour quickly finds its way to Mae’s cheeks and with a startled squeak she shoves the drawing in her bag and pulls out another one. This one seems to be a poorly scribbled example of what would happen if she were to send herself across time and space. Getting beamed out of existence a common theme.
“Sending you through that vortex of aether and hoping you land safe and sound is too much of a gamble.” the miqo’te says with a small frown, “Not to mention the possibility of there suddenly being two of you!”
Indeed, she wasn’t wrong. What was the point of doing all this if it simply ended in failure before it even began? But that’s where her second plan comes in place. She explains to Mae how she will send Azem’s crystal in her stead to a place in time before her meeting with Emet-Selch. The stone contains all of her memories until this point and can only hope her past self will harken onto her warnings and make different choices. Choices she would only make with the knowledge of what the bleak future holds. Emilia can only imagine how difficult it will be for her past self to experience and see all of this, but it must be done. She will suffer as much as necessary if it means a brighter tomorrow for a land and people who know naught but peace and prosperity.
She still remembers how to operate the tower’s controls from her brief experience with Elidibus so all that’s left to do now is to... actually do it. She has to part with her little orange stone, her light in the darkness, her comfort in the blackest of nights. In a moment of weakness and doubt the warrior gives her companion a worried look. Will this work? If it does, will it erase us? What will become of this reality? Of you and I?
What she gets in return is a beaming and genuine smile. My most treasured friend, even though you haven’t told me, I am fairly certain I know what it is that you wish to do. Come what may, know that I shall always be by your side. Have no fear, for the sun and stars will always find their way to each other.
Emilia wills the tears threatening to roll down her cheeks and with a final nod to her dear friend she throws wide the gates.
The Crystarium. Present day.
The Warrior of Light – now of Darkness – is absolutely exhausted. She had just killed Titania, another Lightwarden, walked all the way back in the same evening AND met a cocky and stupidly attractive Ascian. That last part slightly worries her, truth be told, but not enough to dwell on it! It’s not as if she will share such private thoughts with her friends. Besides, if he was telling the truth, then she has nothing to worry about. For some odd reason the warrior believes with every fibre of her being that he meant what he said about cooperation. The scions, of course, didn’t trust a word that left his mouth but at the end of the day she’s the one slaying all the Lightwardens. And by the uncomfortable feeling inside her she can already tell the light will prove to be an issue down the road. A warm bath and some sleep is what she needs right now.
Hm?
A sudden faint glow on her bed draws her attention and she finds herself staring at some sort of orange stone. The shape of it is peculiar, slightly reminiscent of a job stone, but not quite. Curiosity, as always, gets the better of her and she slowly picks it up. What she didn’t expect was to hear her own voice coming from within.
Forgive me for placing this burden upon you. You, my hope in the past. History must be changed if we are to know a better tomorrow.
Emilia’s whole world is shattered as she loses herself in painful memories of the future.