Chapter Text
I woke up slowly.
Body first — started getting fidgety enough I couldn’t stay asleep. Then my ears woke up — footfalls, people calling. Something about healing for people and getting drinks from Revenant’s Toll.
Revenant’s…wha?
Took a second to get my eyes open. I frowned at the cloth roof above my head.
I was lying on a cot, in a tent. Someone had taken off my dragoon armor and left me in a cotton shirt and pants.
How did—
The memories came back in a rush.
Lahabrea.
Light.
Hope.
A whole thing in a liminal space where I’d skewered Lahabrea on a lance of light to break his hold on Thancred.
I shot upright to get a better look around and was immediately forced to stop when my body yelled at me for it.
Sore. Everywhere.
“Nngh! Godsdamnit….worse than riding a chocobo all day….”
I collapsed back onto the cot. Guess Hydaleyn didn’t heal everything.
A strained laugh came from my right. “I’m not sure if I should be relieved you survived the battle with that comparison, or alarmed that Lahabrea hardly harmed you.”
That voice—
I turned sharply, ignoring the twinge in my shoulders and back.
Thancred smiled thinly and tried to raise an arm, then winced and dropped it. “Damn these wounds. I cannot say I was expecting to awaken with such injuries. Then again, there are a great many things I wasn’t expecting.”
“Heh.” I collapsed onto the cot. “You’re lucky Sarah was aiming to disarm.”
“I am quite lucky she did not take my arms, then.” Thancred blinked. “When you say Sarah, do you mean—”
“Yeah. Just gotta hunt down Graff now.”
Thancred’s eyebrows rose. The fact that he was openly surprised told me a couple things. “Truly? That is good news.”
“Yeah.”
I looked Thancred over a little more carefully. He did have a shadow, what little I could see of one, and that stupid purple crystal he’d been wearing around his neck when Lahabrea possessed him was gone. At some point after our fight, he’d ditched the Ascian robes and was wearing a cotton shirt and probably pants, since he had a blanket covering him from the waist down. I wasn’t about to ask.
Had some pretty nasty bags under his eyes, though.
“How much do you…?” I wasn’t sure how to ask it.
The thin smile dropped from Thancred’s face. “As I told Y’shtola and the others about a bell ago, very little. Lahabrea ambushed me not long after your encounter with Ifrit, and while he left me devoid of my senses, I do have the sense he perused my memories like a scholar in a library. Repeatedly.”
I winced. Palamecia wiping my memory was one thing, but the idea of someone rifling through it was something else. “Didn’t mix anything up?”
“Oh, no, I still feel very much myself.” Thancred paused. “I…cannot help but feel as though he might have…not so much left something as uncovered something, however.”
I blinked. Frowned. There’s no way. “What are you—”
“Does the name Asher mean anything to you?”
I could feel the chill run down my spine. Made the soreness worse.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Thancred didn’t look relieved at finding that out. If anything, he looked…weirdly sad. “When?”
“Had to invade Castrum Centri to get Minfilia and the others out of there. Seeing Lahabrea with your face was like getting hit in the head with a warhammer.”
Thancred grimaced, then winced when his shoulders moved.
“Didn’t fully click until Minfilia told me,” I said. “Otherwise it was just the first letter.” I frowned at him. “Doesn’t mean you can start calling me that. I remember being Wol more than being him.”
“I-I did not mean to imply that I would,” Thancred said quickly. “Just — merely confirming my unfortunate suspicions. I....I know that I could not stop whatever force was involved in your abduction, but that does not change my remorse for not realizing who you were sooner.”
“…guess not.” I’d have to live with that. “Guess it’s just you, Minfilia, and Cid now.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Thancred glanced towards something. I followed his gaze and noticed the tent flap was open. Sunlight was coming through, but I couldn’t tell the time of day beyond that. “While I haven’t been awake for long, what little conversation I’ve had with our fellow Scions implies that they might have recovered something themselves.”
“They what?” I almost sat up again. Every inch of me complained and forced me to lie back down. Had to grit my teeth against the pain response. “How? When?”
“You’d have to ask them. They’re currently out and about in the camp somewhere. Your companions, as well, I imagine.”
Yeah, figured. Knowing them, they were probably waiting for me to wake up.
Thancred grunted as he adjusted how he was lying on his cot. I looked over to see him looking back with a really weird expression. Like he was looking for answers and wasn’t sure he was going to like what he heard.
“Wol. When you said before that Palamecia attempted to turn you into the next Chaos—” Thancred stopped. “…You did not speak much of the experience. Is that because you cannot remember it? Or because you choose not to?”
…of course he was asking about that now.
I sighed. “Choose not to. And I’ve got my reasons.”
Honestly, after what he’s been through…and what little I can remember of my past now…he deserves to know.
I held up a hand and flicked my fingers. One of my cards appeared between them.
The blue back of it was facing me, with the sword, staff, and dagger crossing over each other. I didn’t need to see the other side to know which one I’d pulled.
I watched Thancred frown. “Is that….?” His eyes widened.
“It’s called Archfiend.”
Thanced looked sharply from the card to me.
“The thing about Palamecia is it doesn’t run on light and dark or whatever’s going on here.” I waved the card back and forth. “Palamecia had a cycle of hope and despair. Hope turned you into a battle-crazed maniac when you got high on it, but despair had some nasty effects. Floods of despair made people forget. Being overcome with it yourself turned you into a fiend. And if you were strong enough, you didn’t just turn into a minion. You got something different. Something dangerous. And even if you shook it off and got pulled back to hope again, despair clings to you.”
I let the card vanish. It burst into a dark cloud that dissipated like smoke.
“…then you weren’t enthralled,” Thancred said. If he looked pale before, he was absolutely white now. “Do the others—”
“The other Scions don’t know about it, but I bet Y’shtola’s got some ideas.” I let my arm drop. “Everyone here from Palamecia knows about it. Kinda hard to ignore when you kill the godsdamned narrator and the card drops from the sky.”
“…yes, I suppose so.” Thancred’s mouth was a straight line. “Which means, then, that if you do feel despair, does that…?”
“Haven’t gone that deep since, but…” I shrugged. “So long as I don’t let it get the better of me, it’s fine. Haven’t had any problems.”
Except after what happened in the Waking Sands, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
Thancred still looked worried, but he nodded slowly. “If you’re certain.”
I could tell he wasn’t quite ready to relax after being told that. But he’d asked. “Don’t worry about it. Seriously. If I haven’t turned into a monster, I don’t think you will after getting possessed by an Ascian.”
Thancred’s eyes widened sharply.
“He might’ve left scars we can’t see or whatever, but that doesn’t mean you’re gonna turn into one. Too good for that.”
I looked back up at the tent’s ceiling.
“…thank you, Wol,” Thancred said softly. “I believe I needed that.”
- - - - -
Thancred and I dozed on and off, and when we were both awake I filled him in on what we’d been up to while Lahabrea was wearing him like a second skin.
Not really much else to do while I waited for my body to stop feeling like Chaos had trampled me.
“Cid was in Camp Drybone this entire time,” Thancred said, incredulous. “We were there to investigate Ifrit! Had I known the founder of Garlond Ironworks was Marques—”
“You probably would’ve triggered a hell of a headache like Alphinaud did,” I said. “For him and me. Wasn’t pleasant when Alphinaud did it.”
Thancred winced. “Yes, that would be…less than ideal.”
The tent flap shifted. It was dimmer outside now, which probably meant the sun was setting.
Shannon stepped inside, carrying his cane like he meant business. He stopped short when he saw the two of us staring at him. “Uh….”
I raised a hand. “Yo.”
Thancred raised an eyebrow. “Is that a Palamecian greeting?”
“One of ‘em.”
Shannon looked between us, then sighed and looked up. “Thank the gods.” He turned around and cupped his hands around his mouth. “They’re awake!”
“Seriously?” I frowned at him as he stepped further inside and brandished his cane at us. “We’ve been awake on and off all day.”
“We’ve been busy taking care of things! Now hold still.”
I gave him a flat look as what sounded like a stampede of people started coming towards the tent. “If this turns into a problem, I blame you.”
Thancred chuckled.
“That is something I am willing to accept.” Shannon finished casting his spell and sent some blue-green aether in my direction.
A cooling sensation eased the aches I’d been feeling all day. Gods, that felt good.
Sophie barged in as Shannon turned to look at Thancred. “Wol! You’re okay!”
“Course I am, what do you take me for?” I forced myself to sit up as the tent started filling up with others — Palamecians and Scions, although I thought I saw Kan-E-Senna lingering in the entrance. Not enough room for her in here.
“Full glad are we to see thee hale and hearty,” Urianger said from the back of the group.
“What he said!” Kei yelled.
Eath rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You could’ve told us you’d remembered more about your past, Wol. Learning from Cid that you’d known him five years ago was a bit of a shock.”
“It’s not as though we had the time to speak on it,” Meia said. “Considering all that happened.”
“Still, it would’ve been nice,” Bangee grumbled from the back.
I rolled my eyes at them as Sarah forced her way through the crowd to us. Minfilia followed. They almost looked like sisters, standing shoulder to shoulder like that.
If it turned out they were, I was gonna have words with Palamecia’s ghost.
“We received a full report from your companions about most of the events that took place in the Praetorium,” Minfilia said. Of course she was all business. “As curious as I am about any conversation you may have had with Hydaelyn during your confrontation with Lahabrea, I am more concerned with what happened to the Ascian himself. I assume you destroyed his crystal focus, forcing him to flee?”
“Basically, yeah.” Although the way it had happened was…weird. “Felt like I had to go into Thancred’s head and beat Lahabrea to a pulp with a weapon made from light. He fled pretty fast, so I wasn’t able to land a killing blow on the bastard.”
Thancred frowned.
“Well, Ascians are terribly wily foes,” Papalymo remarked. “We have very little information on them, and judging by what information we now have after your encounter with him, it seems we have quite the level of difficulty to surmount.”
My mind went back to that blast of power he’d hit me with, and I set my jaw at the memory.
We’d fought Chaos before and took him down. The fight with Lahabrea wasn’t the same, but it felt like one I should’ve had handled. I should’ve been able to destroy him.
And he caught us all by surprise.
“I’m not gonna let him get away with that again,” I said.
“We won’t,” Sarah said. Her gaze was steely.
I nodded slightly. Not surprised she doesn’t want me fighting him alone again, next time we found him.
I decided I didn’t want to keep talking about that fight. “So what’s this about people remembering me?”
The Scions in the room exchanged looks, then looked at Thancred. He shrugged back at them, wincing through it.
Minfilia sighed. “I have a strong suspicion that Hydaelyn found a way to recover some of the memories the Calamity made difficult to recall. It only seems to have affected most of us here, as well as the Elder Seedseer, Flame General, and the Admiral.”
So, Kan-E, Raubahn, and Merlwyb also had memories of me? Considering they’d looked at me like they recognized me when I was being an envoy, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
But — “Why?”
Minfilia shook her head. “I cannot say. I do not know her mind on this matter.”
“We do not intend to allow these memories to color our interactions with you,” Y’shtola said. “No more than one might expect from an old friend, at least.”
“You’re our friend already, anyway,” Yda said. “So — so that’s not gonna change.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. It didn’t help much, but I’d take what I could get at this point.
“We shall also endeavor to avoid speaking on the past, lest you are bombarded with far more memories than you are prepared to handle,” Papalymo spoke up. “As much as some of us would like to see you return to the level of knowledge you had prior to your abduction, now is not the time for such things.”
Great. Now I had that to look forward to.
Yda stepped on Papalymo’s foot. “Only if he asks for it! That’s what we agreed.”
“Ow! I am full aware of that, Yda!”
“But he isn’t!”
Minfilia giggled. I felt some of the tension bleed out. Good. At least they weren’t going to jump me with headaches on purpose.
“Don’t think this means you’re off the hook for our questions,” Eath said. “I’m willing to wait until you don’t fall asleep in the middle of a conversation, but I do feel you owe us something.”
“You’ll get it,” I said. “You ran a gauntlet with us. Not gonna hold back.”
Eath nodded. Thancred looked at him with a curious look that slowly turned into curious realization.
“So — what now?” I could feel the soreness starting up again. “Better not be any more fights after that.”
“For now — rest,” Minfilia said. “The beast tribes may summon the primals again, but not for some time.”
“And with the Garleans thus defeated, there is one less threat to drive them to such a decision,” Urianger agreed.
“Graff’s still out there, somewhere.” Sophie tilted her head, frowning. “But…we know who he’s with. So he’s gonna show up at some point, right?”
That got confused looks from the Scions.
“…Did you come into contact with him?” Thancred asked.
“In a manner of speaking,” Meia said carefully. “Hydaelyn was able to orchestrate a meeting through our dreams.”
“He’s with Alisaie,” I said. “So they’re fine.”
Alphinaud blinked, startled. “He — your missing companion is traveling with my sister?”
“He’s my brother,” Sophie said. “And he’s great with a rapier. They’ll be fine!”
Alphinaud didn’t look like he knew whether to be relieved or alarmed.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Relax. They’re fine.”
“…if you are certain.”
Bangee hit an open palm with his fists. “Oh, hey! You could go on hunts with us now!”
That did sound interesting.
“There are a few locations in the Shroud that need clearing out,” Shannon remarked. “Ruins from Amdapor.”
More dungeons? I’m down.
“I will need extra hands to heal the rancor in the Wanderer’s Palace,” Eath said.
…that one I’m less excited about.
“Perhaps it would be wise for you to pick up skills that aren’t merely focused on combat,” Y’shtola remarked. “Not all adventurers can live solely on fighting.”
…eh. Maybe. She kinda had a point, but—
“That sounds like an intriguing idea.” Sarah nodded to Y’shtola. “I assume there are guilds for such things as well…?”
“Indeed. Each of the city-states has a few of their own, and the professions tend to overlap.”
I figured that already, since Gridania had leather working. Judging by the look on Sarah’s face, she was planning on looking into them.
Eh. Might not hurt. I’m going to want to know things to keep my armor in good shape. Can’t rely on Hydaelyn for everything.
“When we gettin’ started?” I asked.
“Not for a few days, I should think!” Minfilia exclaimed. “The Ultima Weapon was only just destroyed yesterday. You cannot be thinking of doing all these things now!”
“I agree!” Papalymo put his hands on his hips. “You require rest, Wol, and if one of us needs to cast Sleep to make it so we will not regret the act in the slightest!”
He did not just suggest that.
“If he doesn’t, I will,” Y’shtola said.
“You’re on thin ice,” I warned.
Y’shtola inclined her head at me. “Then you should know I’m quite serious.”
They weren’t backing down. And judging by the look on Sarah’s face, she wasn't planning on stopping them.
Meia and Eath rested their hands on their grimoires.
“All right. All right. Fine.” I raised my hands in surrender. “I’ll wait.”
Someone chuckled. I didn’t see who.
“We have at least another day before we move back to the Waking Sands,” Minfilia said. “Please, Wol. Rest. Out of all of us, you and Thancred require it the most.”
“Yeah, yeah….”
Guess I was stuck on bedrest for a while.
- - - - -
Next morning, they let me and Thancred out of the tent. The muscle aches were less, but Meia kept sending me looks like I was going to collapse any second.
The fact that I was leaning against my lance didn’t seem to help her any.
Thancred was still healing and they weren’t about to let him stand, so he got put in a chair.
We weren’t the only ones out here, either — the Scions, the people from Palamecia, and anyone from the Grand Companies who happened to be in the area had gathered into a crowd.
Kan-E, Raubahn, and Merlwyb seemed to have something planned out here on Silvertear’s edge.
“Friends!” Raubahn motioned to get our attention. “The dread night of imperial tyranny and Ascian machination is ended. A new day now begins in Eorzea.”
Merlwyb spoke up. “True to their name, the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, along with their champions, have delivered us from darkness.”
“Let their shared victory serve to remind us of our shared history,” Kan-E continued. “And let their bravery in the face of adversity inspire future generations.”
They were talking about all of us, not just me. Or Sarah. Or Sophie.
“Doubt not the realm will need bravery in the days to come.” Raubahn met my gaze before looking over the rest of the crowd. “Old rifts threaten to divide us within our walls, while hordes of beast men claw at our gates. And though the Black Wolf be slain, the rest of the pack remains.”
So the troubles weren’t done just because we cut off the head. Nice to know our problems aren’t all solved just because we took out one bad guy. That would be too Palamecian.
The city leaders kept going, clearly drumming up to something. Encouraging teamwork against whatever was coming next. The Grand Companies were going to start working together a little more visibly than they had been.
Felt like my shoulders were lighter, listening to that. They didn’t plan to make me solve everything. This wasn’t Palamecia, where people were basically trained to wait for the Warrior of Light to solve all their problems by killing Chaos. People around here had initiative and were willing to solve things themselves — and maybe with some help.
They didn’t need me at the front all the time.
I started to feel an honest-to-goodness smile cross my face as the three of them started saying something about a new era for the realm. Didn’t sound like the same thing as a cycle, but it had similar—
A loud bellowing roar cut through the applause.
My head snapped to attention, looking around as the people around us shouted and scattered.
Why was that bellow familiar?
“A dragon! That was a dragon!” someone shouted.
A heavy weight settled in my chest. While I didn’t feel any headaches, I did see flashes of a battlefield. Of Flares shooting off large wings exploding out of a moon.
“Who the hell summoned Bahamut?!” I demanded loudly.
Looks like things weren’t going to be slowing down at all anytime soon.