Chapter Text
The night sky stretched on endlessly above the Crystarium as the group of heroes made their return to the sanctuary after the defeat of the Light Warden, Titania. Much had happened since the original group of four had departed the Crystarium long ago. For starters, they had reunited with Thancred and met his new companion, Minfilia. It was not the same Minfilia they knew and loved, but this Minfilia had similarities to her and was a warm and bright soul anyway. She was a welcome addition to the group.
They had also reunited with Urianger, who was eager to return with them after a prolonged absence from his group of friends. It was almost as if their family was complete. They were just missing Y’shtola from the equation. The miqo’te was apparently dwelling in some place known as the Rak’tika Greatwood. Harper wished to see her friend again, but she had a feeling the group’s journey would unite them with Y’shtola soon.
“All seems well at the Crystarium,” Alphinaud observed, and Harper scanned the area to note that things were proceeding as normal. If the defeat of the Lightwarden, Titania, had affected the residents of the Crystarium, they did not show it. It would also seem that the Eulmorean army was more concerned with her immediate group’s activities and not concerned with infiltrating the Crystarium for the time being.
“Yes. Eulmore was plainly more concerned with finding us. How flattering,” Alisae noted with a nod.
“You certainly took your time. I had half-resolved to complete the task myself.”
The group turned from the stairs leading up to the Ocular to see a tall hyurian man walk towards them, slouching as he did so, looking utterly defeated. He had bright citrine orbs that stood out against sunken eyes. His hair was brown with a streak of white at the front. He was cloaked in military accoutrements that revealed a prominent role in whatever organization he was a part of.
But the most shocking thing about him was the trademark Garlean third eye at the center of his forehead.
“And you are?” Alisae was the first to initiate conversation.
“Were one to study the annals of Garlean history, one would find yonder visage on many a page,” Urianger spoke as he held out a hand in front of Alisae’s chest to protect her. Harper looked on at him in shock at his words.
“Though by rights its youth should long since have faded,” Urianger continued, his eyes narrowing.
“Well, well, we have a historian in our midst. That spares me a lengthy explanation,” the man looked utterly bored.
“I am Solus zos Galvus, founding father of the Garlean Empire. And, under various guises, the architect of myriad other imperially inclined nations. As for my true identity…”
The man ran a hand slowly over his face and a bright red sigil obscured his visage, “I am Emet-Selch. Ascian.”
The group looked at the man in shock, eyes narrowing as they regarded the Ascian.
“Gaius spoke of you! A native of the Source…” Alisae recalled as she took a step forward.
“Equal in rank to Lahabrea. And you came all this way just to introduce yourself to us?” Thancred questioned as his eyes narrowed and his hand clutched at the handle of his gunblade.
“Behold the sky, restored to its former glory! Have you ever seen a more affecting spectacle?” Emet-Selch gesticulated dramatically at the sky, his arms outstretched as his voice rose in pitch.
“Ohhh, it is truly, deeply…” he deflated and his arms fell at his side, “…Infuriating. Do you have any idea how much you have delayed the Rejoining?”
“Following the Flood, the First had been listing ever further towards the Light – towards stasis. The end was in sight!”
He threw his hands up in the air, “Enter man and his indomitable spirit. He would haul the world back from the brink! And adding his lumpen weight to the power of growth, he duly tipped the scales, if only by a fraction. Yet a fraction was enough to spoil the perfect imbalance needed to bring about a Rejoining!” he paused and sighed deeply, “Had mankind continued to live in idleness under Vauthry’s rule, all the conditions would have been met…”
Harper moved out from behind Urianger’s looming figure and took a step forward to observe Emet-Selch carefully. His eyes locked immediately on her, and he pointed his finger accusingly at her.
“But you had to come and ruin it all! Thanks to your meddling, Light’s supremacy is in doubt, and our painstakingly laid plans are in tatters!” he looked furious.
His eyes focused on Harper’s face, now that it was unobscured by Urianger’s body, and his eyes widened in shock. He locked eyes with the Warrior of Light and Harper’s brow furrowed in confusion at his expression. It was almost as if he recognized her.
But they had never met before. Harper had never seen the Ascian before in her life.
“Well, I should begin by thanking you for confirming Urianger’s theories on the inner workings of the Calamity. He will be most pleased,” Thancred spoke, a furious expression on his own features.
“As for what happens next, might I suggest you admit defeat and walk away?” he suggested, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Happy to let me go, are you? Because the murderous glint in your eye suggests otherwise. Indeed, it is enough to make me think better of confronting you alone,” Thancred nearly growled at the response.
“Look, it did cross my mind to simply side with Vauthry and kill you all. But that’s no different from what Lahabrea did. And we all know how well that ended for him.”
Emet-Selch began to walk forward, his eyes boring into Harper’s with an intensity that made her take a step backwards, “And so, while it is liable to be troublesome, I have settled upon a different approach…”
He tilted his head to the side and a trace of a smile graced his features, “Cooperation!”
“I will not raise a hand to hinder your hunt for the Lightwardens. If you desire it, I will even lend you my knowledge and strength.”
Harper stared at him in utter shock. How could he possibly believe they would accept the help of an Ascian?
“Since time immemorial, you and yours have labored to rejoin the thirteen shards, at the cost of countless lives. Do you expect us to believe that your objective has suddenly changed?” Alphinaud asked with a look of disbelief. Harper nodded in agreement.
“Nay, our objective is the same as it ever was - though I daresay you do not know our motive. A war waged without knowledge of the enemy is no war – it is mere bloodletting. Just once…might we not seek to find common ground?”
His eyes studied the group carefully and he looked almost joyful, “For good or ill, I am immortal. Provided I have the inclination, I can always begin anew. Scheme and conspire to my heart’s content. But this time, I thought that I might instead try to see eye to eye. To understand what drives the hero of the Source. To determine if our goals are truly incompatible.”
Harper’s eyes narrowed at him, her mind full of distrust.
“So come. Shed your preconceptions. See beyond the unscrupulous villains you take us for. When all is said and done, we may find ourselves pleasantly surprised. The proud discoverers of a path of cooperation rather than opposition. Think of it.”
At that, Urianger maneuvered a throwing star across the courtyard at the Ascian. He dissipated into a cloud of smoke.
“Thou hast delivered thy proposal, and we would not dismiss it outright. If I may offer thee counsel, however: to make thy case via an illusion reflecteth poorly upon thy sincerity.”
“My apologies. You will forgive me if I am not entirely at ease in the presence of a famed Ascian-slayer. I felt it only prudent to take precautions,” he spoke from behind them this time and the group turned to face him. Harper took in his words, and she looked up at him curiously. He looked down at her and the traces of a smile lifted the corner of his lips.
“Nonetheless, your counsel is duly noted,” he turned then and waved his hand through the air, “I take my leave, friends. Rest assured we shall meet again soon.”
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Emet-Selch stalked the halls of the recreation of his precious Amaurot in utter disbelief. He could not, would not believe what his eyes had seen only moments before.
It was her.
Azem.
In the flesh. Made whole again, but somehow still fractured. Her soul was not complete, but he could still see it clear as day.
She was the spitting image of his dearly departed love. His forcibly sundered love. Every detail was the same, including her name. Her hair and her eyes were the same. The way she moved her body. The scar on her shoulder bearing his sigil that marked her as his. Visible to his eyes only. Her lips, perfectly pink and ripe for his kiss.
At least he would have kissed her, had she remembered him. But it was painfully obvious she did not.
No. Unfortunately his dearest Azem, who he had longed for over 12,000 years did not recognize him at all. In fact, she had looked upon him with utter disdain. It had sent pangs of devastation throughout his heart. How he longed to embrace her: to hold her in his arms and never let go. He dreamt many nights of tasting her sweetness against his skin, claiming her mouth between his lips and sharing a love with her that far surpassed that of mere soulmates. She was his. She had always been his. But now she had forgotten him.
The fates were cruel and twisted in their game.
But now that he had found her again, he would be damned if he let her go. He hadn’t intended to follow the Scions on their journey. He hadn’t intended to try to come to a mutual understanding of each other’s objectives, like he had claimed. But once he saw his precious Azem, his precious Harper, his plans had immediately changed. His new plans fell from his lips with little thought. All he knew was that he had to find a way to remain at her side, no matter the cost. If that meant he followed the Scions on their journey through the First, then so be it.
He would claim her as his once again and then he would bring about the Rejoining. He would return his beloved to their home and spend the rest of eternity with her there. And the Scions would not interfere. He would make her see reason. He would make her remember who she was. He would make her remember who he was and who they were together. And in the end, she would choose him. As it was written in the stars. Not that she had a choice. He had marked her all those years ago and she belonged to him. Despite the passage of time, their bond would still be intact, and he would use that to his advantage.
His feet dragged along the floors of various corridors as his new plans formulated in his mind. He opened a door in front of him absentmindedly before his feet stopped at the foot of a plush, spacious bed. His fingers ghosted over the sheets of the bed, and he sighed heavily as memories of him, and his beloved entangled in those very same sheets passed over his mind.
He would stop at nothing to get her back.
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Harper stretched her arms above her head tiredly, yawning as she made her way into her private quarters at the Crystarium, and spotted a basket full of delicious-looking sandwiches before her. There was a handwritten note placed next to the basket.
‘I hope the past few days have not been overly taxing. Pray take your rest and recover.’
“From the Exarch is it? With that mirror of his, he can watch your every move, you know. He’ll probably think you’re talking to yourself,” Ardbert said in amusement as he appeared at her side and looked at the food, “Still, he’s keeping you well fed.”
Harper looked at him and merely shrugged.
“Judging by his people’s faith in him, he seems to be a decent sort,” Ardbert mused, “But so much about him remains shrouded in mystery. Like what was he doing back in my day? There was no such person when I was around.”
“Really?” Harper asked curiously.
It was Ardbert’s turn to shrug, “A lot has happened since the Flood, though. Since I was…set adrift. I know little more than you do of this city’s history and the Exarch’s past.”
His arms folded over his chest, “Not that it matters. It’s Emet-Selch we should be concerned about. When our world was about to be consumed by Light, the Ascian in white appeared before us. He said that the only way for us to live on was to bring about the Rejoining,” Ardbert sighed at that as the memories passed through his mind, “Desperate as we were, we heeded his words, not realizing that the Flood was of the Ascians’ own making.”
“They cannot be trusted. None of them,” he concluded, facing her with resolve in his eyes, “But Emet-Selch had one thing right: one should not fight blindly.”
Harper mulled over his words, “I suppose not.”
“That’s what we did. And it cost us everything we held dear,” a haunted expression passed over Ardbert’s features, and he could not hide the devastation that pained him.
“Not everything,” she responded, a smile gracing her features.
“…You mean Seto? Well, that’s…Aye. I suppose you’re right,” he looked off in the distance as if remembering something, “He’s done some growing. When we were traveling together, he was nowhere near as big. And he obviously couldn’t speak. I had no idea how much that medallion meant to him.”
At that, they both smiled. Ardbert shook his head at the memory before he turned back to regard her fully, “What about you, anyway? You must have a friend like Seto. Chocobo, perhaps? Come on, you tell me something for a change.”
At that, Harper laughed before she began to regale Ardbert with stories of her chocobo companion, Mochi, back in the Source. It didn’t take long for him to practically keel over in laughter as she recounted their various battles with enemies across Eorzea.
This was nice. It was comforting to have Ardbert around. He was the only other person who truly understood what she was going through. Her losses. Her pain. He was intimately familiar with her journey, having been in her exact position not long ago. They shared tales back and forth for some time before Ardbert eventually took his leave so that she could rest.
Harper began stripping herself of her garments, casually nibbling on one of the sandwiches that the Exarch left for her as her mind wandered to thoughts of the Ascian. His approach to dealing with the Scions was wildly different from the other Ascians they had dealt with in the past. While Ascians such as Nabriales and Lahabrea sought to hinder and destroy the Scions and the citizens of the Source, Emet-Selch seemed bent on proposing a new approach. What could he possibly gain by observing the Scions’ actions in the First? Did he mean to study them so that he could exploit their weaknesses and bring about the rejoining upon their defeat?
Either way, Harper could not trust him. At least, not entirely. All of their dealings with the Ascians in the past had led to misery, death and destruction. How could Emet-Selch truly believe that they would be convinced a partnership with him would lead to something else entirely? They were not fools and they would not be taken lightly. On the other hand, Ardbert was not wrong. They could use the opportunity to know their enemy and study his own weaknesses. Exploit his weaknesses and defeat him before he could do the same to them. It was not a terrible idea.
Harper finished the remains of her sandwich, chewing thoughtfully as she reflected on the earlier encounter. Despite recognizing Emet-Selch as their enemy, she could not help but feel a nagging sensation within her soul that there was something different about him. She could not place it, but he felt familiar. It was an unnerving feeling that threw her off completely. Although she wanted to keep the Ascian at arm’s length, there was also a part of her that wanted to discover every detail about his life.
She let out a frustrated sigh at that, annoyed that a single encounter with their enemy was stirring these thoughts in her mind. She made her way over to the bag of her belongings before she produced a metal jar and removed the lid. She took out one of the blue-colored capsules inside and placed it in her mouth before she swallowed it down with water. Her heat-suppressant pills. The last thing she needed on this perilous journey through the First was to go into heat and reveal her true status as an Omega.
Her group of friends only knew her as an Alpha, and she wanted to keep it that way. If they knew that the famed Warrior of Light, the Source’s champion and bravest of heroes was an Omega, she couldn’t imagine their reaction. She also doubted she could stop the spread of gossip of that news from reaching the realm. Then she would have an open target on her back. There would be hundreds, if not thousands, of Alphas trying to claim the Warrior of Light as their Omega. The offspring of such a powerful couple would likely land them in the history books.
There was also another concerning matter entirely. Harper was pretty sure she had already been claimed. She could not remember when, where or how it had happened, but her shoulder bore the familiar marking of an Omega that had been claimed. The scar had only appeared on her body shortly before her travels to the First, and it terrified her to no end that she had no memory or recollection of how it was earned. If she had been claimed in such a way, surely she would have remembered it? It was not a gentle process by any stretch of the imagination.
No, the mating process was violent and brutal in its very nature, despite how gentle some Alphas could be. There was no way she would forget such an incident happening. And yet, she could not for the life of her determine how the scar came to be. She simply woke up one day and it was there. Despite her amnesia concerning the matter, she had decided to drop it for now until she had time to dive into further research on the matter. It would not help her now and – either way – her heat suppressant medicine would prevent her from going into her heat cycles anyway and drawing predators to her side. She was safe for now.
That was all that mattered.