The triple suns hid behind one of Polarion's distant towers as they began to set. The light flooded my eyes with bright shades of orange, red, and tinges of purple as the stars above crept into view, while the rays of trailing sunlight looked like they were trying to push back against the incoming night.
I sat on a bench aligned with the balcony wall of the infirmary in Ryfon's home. I tried my best to come to terms with where I was, but no matter how I looked at it, it was far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Polarion, much like Kavrass, was stunning in its own right, but there was a tangible presence of mana that I couldn't ignore even if I tried.
As I sat on a bench and watched an uncountable number of stars race across the ever-darkening sky, I took in a deep breath, feeling the mana enter my lungs and body, which was certainly helping with my recovery.
However, no matter how beautiful the scenery around me was, I couldn't help but go over everything that had happened. The reality and weight of it all began to weigh down on my consciousness, forcing me to take yet another deep breath and exhale slowly.
I'll find a way to help you, Ed. I promise, I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment to bask in the last rays of sunlight.
"Crescent for your thoughts?" Mom asked from the doorway to my left, a look suggesting she wanted to talk. "You'd never have to pay for them anyway," I chuckled, scooting aside to make room for her on the bench.
"True, but it's always nice to say things out loud, right?" She shrugged, pushing her robes toward the back of her knees as she sat down. "Can't argue with that. How are your injuries?" I asked, noticing she'd winced slightly.
"Much better than they were when we first got here, but that's not what I'm here to talk about," she shrugged with an upturned lip this time, then eyed me cautiously, prompting me to raise an eyebrow.
"You know you don't have to walk on eggshells around me, right?" I said with a half-hearted chuckle. "I would never, but I am worried about you. I know what it's like; having to end a friend's suffering," she said, her tone growing more distant the more lost in thought she became. "Y-yeah. Definitely not fun by any means," I nodded.
She exhaled heavily through her nostrils as her mouth compressed into a thin line. She plopped her hand on my shoulder and shook it gently for a moment, then let it go, as we sat in silence for a few heartbeats.
"You know, I once had a teammate named Nayra," she began, looking far above her into the twilight sky, prompting me to turn to her. "She was strong, unrelenting, and nothing ever seemed to be able to shake her spirit. Heh, maybe she rubbed off on me more than I realized, now that I think about it," she said with a shake of her head.
"What happened to her?" I asked, but my question seemed to slowly wipe the smile from her face. There was a brief moment of silence, but I could feel her trying to gather the strength to tell me through our connection. Her features finally settled on a blank expression, though I could tell there was a whirlwind of thoughts racing through her mind.
"She died, and I was the one who killed her," she finally said, her voice steady, calm, and almost emotionless. My eyes widened in surprise, but I didn't even have a chance to say anything before she continued.
"It was a trap that none of us saw coming. The location of the Fate-Bearer Shield was locked in a chamber with a hidden curse. The moment we pulled it from its resting place, she was overcome with rage and began attacking us, but we couldn't figure out why," she said, her brow furrowing in frustration.
When she mentioned the curse, I felt my stomach sink, though she'd already told me how her story ended. "I'm so sorry, Mom," I said solemnly.
"It is what it is. We didn't have a way to rid her of the curse, so I took it upon myself as her leader to make sure she was put to rest honorably. To this day, Nayra's death is one that has stuck with me throughout the centuries, and I've always strived to be as resolute as I was back then," she lowered her head a little, allowing a wave of emotions to flow through our connection.
It took me a moment to realize why she was telling me that, but the moment I did, I immediately felt some of her steadfastness rub off on me. "I'm sorry to hear about Nayra. I really am, but I still think you made the right decision for her. If she was anything like Vyra or Eirenne, I don't think she would have had it any other way," I said, hoping it gave her some comfort, but she shook her head.
"That's just it; she was their mother," she said, the last word struggling to get past the lump growing in her throat. "W-wait, what?" I asked, prompting her to hold up a hand.
"You're still young, son. There will be times when you're forced to make difficult decisions to save others. It's in those moments that we have to decide what kind of leader, friend, or person we're going to be from that point forward. The worst fucking part of it all? Sometimes, you won't know which decision was the right one, even years later, since they will rarely ever be purely black and white," she said, giving me a look that told me everything our connection hadn't.
She regretted the decision she made with every fiber of her being, and I realized that she was letting me know that she knew how I was feeling.
"But at the end of the day, all that matters is that you don't beat yourself up over the decisions you had to make. After all, it wasn't only your life on the line there," she said, giving me a knowing nod. I allowed myself a moment to take in what she was saying and returned the nod.
"By the way, I never got the chance to thank you," she began, turning back to look at the sky once more. "Thank me? For what?" I asked with a half-chuckle. "For saving our lives. I'm sure the others feel just as indebted to you as I do," she said, still looking into the sky.
"You have nothing to thank me for. I know you would've done the same thing if you were in my position," I shrugged, prompting her to chuckle lightly. "I might have done it a little differently, but I must admit I was impressed by your fight. I've never seen anyone break through to the fifth stage mid-combat before. Shit, I don't know if anyone has," she chuckled, giving me a light punch on the shoulder, prompting me to smile a little.
"It's not like I'd planned on it. I thought it was going to take me another year of training with you to get there," I replied with a shrug. "No, no. I think you were much closer than you realized before that fight even began. The question is: how did you do it?" she asked, curiosity flowing both through her tone and through our connection.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts, but my understanding of what had happened was little more than an educated guess.
That's when it hit me.
"Essentia," I muttered after a much longer pause than I'd intended, causing Mom's eyebrow to raise slightly. "She said that the Path of the Wraithborn was open to me, but I didn't fully understand what that meant. All I knew was that she was somehow sending me back to finish the fight," I said, trying to recall what I could about the conversation.
"Ah, right. I remember you mentioned that name earlier today," Mom nodded her head. "Still impressive, though," she continued with a wry grin. "Thanks," I said, offering a humble smile in return.
There was a lull in our conversation, and I could feel Ysevel's presence growing stronger, as if she'd been waiting for the right moment to jump into the conversation. "Ah, Ysevel. Come sit with us," Mom said, patting the bench and scooting over to leave a gap between her and I to sit. "A-Are you sure? I didn't mean to interrupt, but…" she trailed off as Mom waved a hand dismissively.