melodiesofeternity | The Final Loop

At last, the one who had reached out to the other three approached—a face somewhat more familiar to the outworlders, though she had been trying to distance herself for some time. Even now she still did it subconsciously, in the way she approached the group almost timidly and didn’t seem to be making eye contact with them. Not even Uendo or Sakuya were being granted a firm glance, even if she at least offers a small smile.

“I-I’m sorry, I wish I had more answers for you. I had to retrieve something myself, but...” She pushed the bangs favouring the right side of her face aside, unused to sensation or the way it obscured her vision. The choice to leave her hair in its natural state was a deliberate one, something she’d had to argue with Primrose a good while as she pulled out her own object: a delicate crystal flower, half-closed.

“I think I have an idea.” And now she does seek out Uendo’s gaze, voice quavering slightly with the last word. No Jue, keep it together...

Ah, now she better understood. She'd seen some of them around before, but then the statues. Given what they had learned about the previous world, the present world, and each of the Temples, they were then.

"... In your past lives, but we don't have to discuss that if none of you are up for it."

It wasn't like they would know all the details... most of them. Naoto could fill in a bit about Sakuya's life once before arriving in this world, but that too would be filtered through her after hearing from another source.

The woman smiled as the four natives arrived and introduced themselves.

"Maria. Sakuya. Johnas. And of course, Sylvarie. Thank you for having answered our call."

She bowed respectfully to them before taking a step back, letting the four natives face the four otherworlders.

"My apologies for having summoned you from so far. You may not know who I am nor who they are." She shifted her gaze toward Uendo, Naoto, Finn and Ren for a moment. "These four summoners are readying to summon the Legendary Eidolons that can end the threat posed by Bahamut. However, to do so they need something which you brought with you."

A pause and another.

"If you would entertain such a miracle to be possible... Pray, entrust these Heroes of Light with the crystals you retrieved."

... What?

Finn's probably most shocked that the other three are taking this all in stride, but he doesn't outwardly show it. Instead, he glances to the woman and then at the four new arrivals. Now, finally, he knows who they are even if it creates a few more questions.

Most notably, how are they here now?

But he says nothing. Instead, nods toward them in greeting, not sure what to say.

Thankfully, it didn't take Johnas long to dig through a few pockets and produce the particular item he'd been bid to retrieve. Clenching his hand around the clear blue crystal as he looked with some measure of intensity over Naoto as she mentioned past lives, but ended up dismissing it with a shrug as he looked briefly between the others.

"Hmph. Seems fairly absurd to me, that a peculiar pebble from the bottom of a pond in Nakagawa might have any bearing on saving the world." Johnas opened his hand and peered down at the item; clear but deep blue, like an ocean, the rounded side of crystals' meteor-shape nested almost perfectly in the very center of his palm. The pointed tails; one with more than a notable chip, protruded out towards his thumb.

"Seems it was already damaged a little."

Ren has to give pause at Naoto's statement, past lives? The cogs of his mind were silently turning, wondering if these four really could be... But almost immediately, as Sakuya produced that butterfly-shaped crystal— something seemed to resonate within him. A flash of something, a memory? But.... why should he be thinking of the interrogation now of all times?

Almost instinctively he reached for that one in particular, but stopped himself mid-way, glancing first at Sakuya himself— then towards their sensei. Should he... be taking this? Was she serious?

"These crystals... are the key?"

"Huh? Past lives?" Maria's face seemed to screw up in confusion at that very peculiar statement, then shook her head as though to dismiss the very notion. She knew about the heroes of light, had looked up to them even!

"I think you've got the wrong idea, I just came to deliver this," and from the bag at her side, she unwrapped the egg-like, shimmering blue crystal, with a smile as she presented it to the group.

"But wow! The legendary Eidolons! You guys are serious? I mean I guess I shouldn't have expected any less from the great Heroes of Light, right? Oh yeah— I'm Maria!" she probably should have mentioned that before, shouldn't she have? As somewhere in the cosmos, an ironic rendition of Ave Maria played...

Edited 2019-04-14 21:03 (UTC)

It sounded like the other three didn't remember. They must have been growing up as ordinary citizens of Vaikuntha all this time, completely unaware of who they'd once been. Just like Sylvarie...

Uendo's expression softened into a gentle smile as he gave Sylvarie a small nod. He could guess at what she was thinking -- and how scary this was. Realizing you weren't who you thought you were... That was something he could understand all too well.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that Vaikuntha has become a very precious place to us offworlders as well." He, too, gave the natives a respectful bow. "When we were taken from our homes, the citizens of this world took us in and offered a hand of friendship. Please allow us to repay the favor."

“There is hardly a need to repay any favours, you’ve all already done so much.” Her smile becoming wistful, Sylvarie looked to the celebration around them. To think they’d actually made it to this conclusion, it was so different from how things began—and though the other three may not be in the loop, she’d certainly not forget the vigour with which the outworlders had thrown themselves into fixing what had happened.

“Yourselves, and others before you, have always done such good things for Vaikuntha even when we didn’t have enough to offer in return. Our relations might have started less than ideal, yet here you are saving our home.”

Looking to the other Vaikunthans, she nodded gently as she idly traced a thumb over the petals of her blue crystal. “These people, our new... heroes... you can trust them.”

"You're all so young, too... To bear the fate of the world, and one that isn't yours, at that, that seems too heavy for just your hands, doesn't it?"

Sakuya freezes, the words coming out heavier than intended. It somehow felt entirely too personal and tight in his chest. Like this moment, when his eyes linger on Ren and Naoto, he briefly feels like he may have somehow knew them from another place? But that was clearly impossible, and Sakuya writes it off. He still wants to ask them all why they'd gone this far. He wants to know how they're so sure things will work out in the end. But Sylvarie's gaze meets his, and he keeps it inside. Her words were enough.

The crystal remains on its kerchief, cupped in both hands. He looks at each of the next generation. His voice is soft, and his elbows extend slightly, toward Ren.

"You with the fluffy black hair... I saw that expression." His stoic mask fades away, replaced with a genuine smile. "Go ahead."

"Ah—" and just like that, Ren's eyes are back on Sakuya— and he seems to relax in the wake of that smile. With a silent ~~protag~~ nod, he returns the gesture, feeling somehow more at ease. "With everyone's help... it doesn't always have to feel so heavy."

His gaze drifted over everyone in the small gathering as he spoke— "Thank you," sensei, Naoto, Finn, Johnas— "all of you. Uendo-san is right when he says this world has become precious to us, so..." Maria and Sylvarie, then finally...

"We won't let you down—" Ren reached forward this time without hesitation, a firm and gentle grasp on the crystal, as he looked to meet the elezen's gaze. If this young man had truly been one of the heroes that came before them, then it was only fitting that Sakyua be their... "senpai."

Johnas eventually looks up from the curious bauble he'd been bid to bring here and over those gathered here. Between Uendo, Ren and Naoto and then to the other three natives each bearing a similar, if not exact-same crystal. Well, the mood here certainly seemed to have turned heavier in the last few moments and from the slightly perplexed look on Johnas' face, something doesn't quite sit well with him about it.

Past lives, favours, new generation?

He's about as far from the situation concerning the offworlders as one could be. Living hardly on the fringes of any city center, content in the simple life within his small community. Yet, there is a thought that eventually comes to the forefront and Johnas blinks as he looks between the Heroes particularly as if waiting for some sort of invisible sign-

"-if it's all I can do to avert this calamity, I'd gladly pay any price for it. For life as it is now, and for the future of my family. However, this does seem just a tad far-fetched?"

"Just a tad," Finn quietly agreed, though he'd gotten the gist of everything now.

These were the heroes from before and, like Ramaa, they have no memories of those lives. It should feel weird that they're passing the same burden down, but it somehow doesn't. Perhaps because he's used to it.

"They're right, though. Vaikuntha's worth protecting in whatever way we can, even through means that sound basically impossible. And we'll-" Hmm. He looks over the other four, the heroes from the previous world, and eventually lands his eyes on Johnas. "We'll do our best."

Naoto would say that it probably wasn't the first time to bear the fate of the world on several of their shoulders, but four didn't recall and the others probably didn't want to talk about it. The only one she believed had no such encounter before would be Uendo, but sometimes, it didn't take experiencing the fate of the world to understand how heavy the burden was.

"Yes, we will... no, we must."

Because this wasn't just the fate of Vaikuntha, but their original worlds in the balance.

“Sakuya.” Moving closer, she reached up to gently tug at one of those pointed ears of his after the exchange had finished—don’t be rude! “His name is Ren.”

And Finn, and Naoto... The fear and confusion were still present within her, as they had been since the first memory, but it was as they had said. Standing together like this, it didn’t seem so heavy. Amongst them was something, a bond perhaps, that allowed her some semblance of peace as she looked down to her crystal again.

“It does still seem far-fetched—“ Oh how she had quarrelled with some of them over that. “But we have to have faith. Remember the legends? Our world was meant to be built by the will of the generations after the Heroes. And we all agree this isn’t the end.”

It was that belief that had her extending the flower to Uendo, smile as strong and genuine as she can muster given the circumstances. Who it went to didn’t seem to matter, but granting it to the performer just seemed right after all he had done for her personally. “Thank you.”

"Of course it sounds that way!" far-fetched, she means. "It's just the same in all the stories you know? And not just about the heroes of light... all the legendary heroes always have to go against something impossible, odds that seem like they can't be beat! They, ah—" this speech probably wasn't helping, was it?

"What I mean is... you guys can do it. I believe in you." Maria outstretched her hand, the soul gem-like crystal sparkling in the empty space in front of her, ready for it to be plucked from her hand. If this thing was somehow going to help the lot of them, then, well...

"Just remember. Magic and miracles— they both exist." she smiled.

"All know the creation legend-"

Johnas was going to add something else to the end of that sentence but refrains from doing so. He doesn't want to offend by stating that he doesn't have the belief that all others here are undoubtedly counting on in order to save Vaikuntha from Bahamut. Much less that he's somehow connected to it; he doesn't need or want any sort of divine right, all he's ever wanted in life is wrapped up neatly in his community back halfway across the World.

He meets Finns' gaze silently; Johnas' piercing green eyes are deep like a forest, devoid of the coldness compared to the man that Finn would undoubtedly see similarities too in overall presence. Sharp nose and jaw, alongside an undefinable tone of seriousness, yet warm in character much like his natural tanned skin. A lock of -albeit darker and shorter- silver hair has come loose from the top knot and falls to the side of Johnas' face; only just touching the top of a cheek.

"-if you believe-" Large, working hands pass the meteor-shaped blue crystal across towards Finn as downcast eyes watch the transaction. For all that Johnas doesn't believe in much of the stories by any stretch, it's hard to get over the feeling that he really is passing some sort of responsibility on, here.

"It wouldn't be very exciting without million-to-one odds, would it?"

Uendo would never get used to being called a hero. At least, he could never hear it without feeling a little guilty sting, knowing he lacked the bravery that seemed to come so naturally to people ten years younger than him. Still, if accepting the moniker gave hope to the people of Vaikuntha, how could he refuse it?

Whatever doubts he had, they'd have to be confronted in private. He had a role to play in all this, for better or worse, and a performer couldn't abandon the stage until their part was done.

It was for that reason he was able to maintain an air of confidence as he accepted Sylvarie's crystal. He could sense the weight of duty from it, far beyond anything he would have ever faced back home -- but that was the way it went in rakugo, too. You carried your burden, and you didn't complain.

"We won't let you down." At face value, the 'we' could easily be taken to mean the four Summoners, or perhaps the offworlders as a whole. Maybe he'd let her in on the whole truth once this was over. Just maybe.

The Final Loop

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